MLB
Why did the Tampa Bay Rays bench Wander Franco?
An often underrated player by fans around the league, Wander Franco finds that he has not done himself any favors with his team mates.
There are several players around the league who should probably be All-Stars, but seem to be overlooked and under rated by many baseball fans. Right near the top of that list would be Wander Franco.
The 22-year-old Dominican shortstop was formerly the top prospect in the MLB, and has shown flashes of brilliance without setting the league on fire just yet. But this year has been something of a turning point. He is hitting .287 with eight home runs and 24 stolen bases. As the central cog of that Rays infield, Franco is a key member of the best team in baseball.
But now he has been benched as a disciplinary measure for “at least two games” by manager Kevin Cash. The reason? “Not being the best team mate.”
Cash said, “Wander is a really good kid, really good person. He’s a young player that is learning and dealing with the challenges of being a Major League player and some of the frustrations that come with it. Over the course of this season, there’s been probably multiple times that the way he has handled his frustrations have not been the way that we ask our players to uphold being the best teammate.”
Not willing to go into further details on the matter, it seems clear that the decision was taken not for one single incident but as an overall attitude adjustment measure stemming from multiple infractions.
Franco has been noticeably frustrated during the season, often slamming his bat down in the dugout or not bothering to run out a ground ball. He has been arguing with umpires over what he perceives to be bad calls and got into a heated discussion with team mate Randy Arozarena last month.
But Cash stresses that he is not seeing this as anything other than a teaching moment for the young shortstop. “We’re going to continue to support Wander as he works through this. I’m personally going to. This organization will. This staff will. We know that he’s a really good kid and look forward to having him back.”
When he will be back is not clear, although it could be as early as Saturday.