The story of former Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is a sad one. He was a player that Rays fans believed would be the future of the franchise. He showed so much promise on that initial hype. Franco also demonstrated a couple of red flags that could eventually sink his career.
Report: Wander Franco Found Guilty Of Sexual Abuse of a Minor
Wander Franco was found guilty on Thursday of sexual abuse of a 14-year-old minor in the Dominican Republic and received a two-year prison sentence. That prison sentence has been suspended, according to ESPN’s Juan Recio and Jeff Passan, but Franco will need to meet a series of conditions set forth by the judge. Franco hasn’t played a game for the Rays since August 2023. He also hasn’t received a penny of the 11-year, $182 million deal he signed with the penurious franchise since his placement on MLB’s restricted list. According to Passan, Franco does not currently possess a work visa. His continued placement on the restricted list will make that visa even harder to obtain and return to play baseball in the United States.
Wander Franco’s two-year prison sentence is suspended, according to @JuanRecioM. If he fails to meet conditions set by the judge — the main one being he does not approach minors with sexual intentions — he will have to serve the sentence. https://t.co/p6Ltc9S1nB
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 26, 2025
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Wander Franco Was Delivering On His Prospect Hype
Franco was the top prospect in baseball for two years prior to his debut. He was seen as an incredible athlete with loads of potential at the plate. His debut in MLB was a sight to behold. He smacked a home run during his third at-bat in the majors against the Boston Red Sox and posted great numbers that season. His talent and poise were on full display in the 2021 ALDS against Boston, with a .368 batting average, two home runs, four RBI, and five runs scored in four games. That 2021 season included a third-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting. An All-Star in 2023, he finished with a .282/.340/.454 with 30 homers and 130 RBI in parts of three seasons for the Rays.
Eyebrow-Raising Episodes
Franco is an extremely confident baseball player with loads of talent. He plays the game with a certain ease and relaxation. Sometimes too much. In a May 2023 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he drew national headlines for his decision to field a ground ball, transfer it to his other hand, flip it to himself, and finally make a throw to first base. The play made plenty of highlight videos, but was it really necessary?
Wander Franco did an incredibly cool ‘ball flip’ before throwing an out and MLB fans loved it https://t.co/YEghVQHPHu pic.twitter.com/pIHDXXlp7N
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) May 4, 2023
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One month later that season, manager Kevin Cash announced the decision to bench Franco for two games for disciplinary reasons. Cash declined to get into specifics, but noted, “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.” In retrospect, that was a bold move because baseball teams usually protect talented players even when they misbehave. That the Rays felt compelled to make this move showed how things had taken a turn for the worse.
Franco Couldn’t Handle His Life Off The Field
The bottom line is that Franco couldn’t get his personal life together. He was an incredible talent, but that only gets you so far. Franco rarely emitted outward signs of his personality and seemed to be fitting in well with teammates. Obviously, there were deeper issues under the surface. On a separate note, the mother of the victim was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually trafficking her daughter. According to multiple reports, the mother accepted financial benefits from Franco and laundered money.
Franco’s contract with the Rays represented a rare misfire for an organization that typically excels at locking up young, talented players. The Rays weathered the storm internally and found a way to move on without Franco’s services. The clubhouse wasn’t damaged because of one bad apple.
Main Photo Credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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