Tampa Bay Rays and All-Star shortstop Wander Franco agreed that he will be placed on the restricted list Monday, just a day after allegations surfaced on social media that he dated an underage girl.
The team said in a statement that the 22-year-old has agreed to take a leave of absence.
Franco will not be with the team during the San Francisco road trip as the Rays begin a three-game series against the Giants on Monday night.
In addition, he will also miss Tampa Bay’s three-game set this weekend in Anaheim.
The Rays can replace Franco, who was selected for his first All-Star Game this season. Under MLB’s Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy, the Commissioner’s Office can place an accused player on paid administrative leave for up to seven days while an investigation takes place.
Major League Baseball is investigating the incident, Tampa Bay said in the statement.
We support any steps the league is taking to better understand the situation. “Out of respect for all parties involved, we have no further comments at this time.”
The Attorney General’s Office of the Dominican Republic is investigating the allegations, news channel Noticias Telemicro reported.
The investigation is led by magistrate Olga Diná, who oversees the National Directorate of Boys, Girls, Adolescents and Family.
The Tampa Bay Rays announced Monday that the organization and Wander Franco had mutually agreed to put him on the restricted list, a day after a rumor circulated on social media that he was allegedly dating an underage girl in the Dominican Republic. Republic.
Tampa Bay will return home for a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on August 22 for a weekend showdown with the New York Yankees, and it is unknown if Franco will then rejoin the team.
The mutual decision to part ways comes after viral allegations on social media linked the Rays superstar to a young girl in his native Dominican Republic on Sunday before the team took to the field for the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians.
Franco addressed the rumors with a live stream on Instagram and denied that he was in a relationship with a minor. The age of consent in the Dominican Republic is 18 years.
‘They say I’m hanging out with a young girl, that I’m walking around with a minor. How crazy is that, dude? People don’t know what to do with their time. Go and have a look,’ Franco said in Spanish.
“Those people need to move. One is focused here, doing my thing, you see, thanks to God. That’s why I prefer to be on my side and I don’t interfere with anyone because people gossip so much.’
Rays teammate José Siri later walked into the recording exclaiming that it’s just “people are out for money.”
ESPN Deportes reporter Enrique Rojas said on Monday’s Grandes En Los Deportes radio show, which airs in the Dominican Republic, that the live Instagram taping took place ahead of Sunday’s game, featuring a Wander Franco Snapback Hat giveaway for fans aged 14 and under who were pending.
Tampa Bay star All-Star shortstop Wander Franco is soaked after hitting a walkoff home run Friday night to beat the Cleveland Guardians. He won on Saturday, but was not in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale.
Wander Franco was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game this season. He hits .281 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI
During his pregame media availability, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash told reporters that he left Franco out of the lineup.
Before the game, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said the team gave Franco to “get him on his feet.” He hit a ninth-inning, walk-off homer to beat Cleveland on Friday night and was on the field for the win over the Guardians on Saturday.
He said after the match that he was aware of the rumors surrounding the club’s star.
“I am aware of this speculation,” Cash said. ‘I’m not going to comment further on that. But the day off was because of (of) the day off.’
Franco hits .281 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI, and his absence will create a gap in the lineup for a Rays team that started three games behind the American League-leading Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
But the Rays have already dealt with him being away from the team – sitting on the bench for two consecutive days in July after the team questioned his behavior around his teammates and how he handled his frustration.
He was also involved in a heated dugout brawl with fellow All-Star Randy Arozarena in late May.
Franco was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent in July 2017 and signed him to a $182 million, 11-year contract in November 2021. Tampa Bay can exercise a team option for 2033, which could grow the deal to $223.