Tampa Bay Rays star shortstop Wander Franco's professional baseball career in the major leagues may be all but over already.
MLB insider Hector Gomez said that a source close to the investigations into the case of Franco said that "it will be very unlikely that Franco will play in MLB again, judging by the results of the investigations that are currently being carried out, which directly commit him to the accusations."
The 22-year-old is currently the subject of an investigation by authorities in his home country Dominican Republic for being in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
Named in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game, Franco agreed to be placed on the Rays' restricted list on Sunday after the allegations became public knowledge, but he will continue to get paid for the time being.
Franco addressed the rumors last Sunday on Instagram Live. He bluntly denied the accusations against him, saying that "people don't know what to do with their time; they don't know what they're talking about," translated from Spanish.
"That's why I prefer to be on my side and not get involved with anybody ... because people gossip and talk smack," he added.
Meanwhile, the Rays released a statement on Monday saying that they support any steps the league took to understand the situation better and that they will have no further comments out of respect for all parties involved.
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Huge blow for the Tampa Bay Rays and baseball in general
The Dominican is widely considered one of the best young players in the sport, and he has been one of the most important players for the Rays this season.
The team will surely miss Franco's production, as they currently sit in second place in the American League East standings with a 73-50 win-loss record, two games behind the leader Baltimore Orioles. Tampa Bay owns the first wild card spot in the American League.
Franco currently has a batting average of .281 with 17 home runs, 58 RBIs, a .819 OPS, and 30 stolen bases in 112 games this season.
Five months after his major league debut, Tampa Bay signed Franco to a massive 11-year, $182 million contract extension, becoming the youngest player in baseball history to sign a contract worth more than $100 million and the largest-ever deal for a player with less than one year of playing in the major league.
The deal could reach upward of $223 million if the team option for the 2033 season is exercised and if certain conditions are met for incentives.
The Rays signed him to be part of their organization in July 2017. Franco was ranked as one of the top international prospects in the 2017 class, and he initially saw action with the team's minor league affiliate, the Princeton Rays, out in West Virginia.
Franco subsequently played for several Rays affiliate teams, such as the Bowling Green Hot Rods and the Durham Bulls. In 2020, he was ranked as the number 1 prospect in all of baseball.
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