Rays' Wander Franco charged with sexual abuse, exploitation of a minor: report

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has reportedly been charged with intersexual maltreatment and intersexual exploitation against a minor.

Franco was placed connected administrative permission connected Aug. 22 arsenic Major League Baseball investigated his alleged relationships with underage girls.

The allegations were made nationalist earlier that period pursuing societal media posts, but the archetypal ailment was filed successful July. 

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Wander Franco, #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, looks connected during the 5th inning against the Cleveland Guardians astatine Tropicana Field connected Aug. 12, 2023 successful St Petersburg, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

The Rays began to instrumentality down images of Franco astir Tropicana Field amid the allegations. There has besides been nary motion of Franco merchandise being sold astatine the Rays' squad store wrong their ballpark.

Franco past played a Major League crippled connected Aug. 12, and with the charges, it is present progressively apt helium volition ne'er play again.

Franco was an All-Star for the archetypal clip past season. He slashed .281/.344/.475 with 17 homers and 58 RBI implicit 112 games this past season.

He signed an 11-year, $182 cardinal declaration hold successful November 2021, but a squad enactment successful 2033 could marque the woody worthy $233 cardinal erstwhile it is over. Of course, the Rays could get retired of it if Franco goes to jail, citing a "good citizenship" clause successful the azygous subordinate contract.

Tampa Bay Rays Dominican shot shortstop Wander Franco, center, who faces an accusation of molesting an underage girl, arrives successful tribunal nether dense escort successful Puerto Plata, successful the Dominican Republic, connected Jan. 5, 2024. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

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After Dominican constabulary raided 2 homes associated with Franco conscionable earlier the caller year, helium was yet arrested. He was aboriginal released nether the information that helium conscionable with section authorities erstwhile a month. 

According to ESPN, Dominican prosecutors accidental that Franco called the insignificant "my girl" successful a WhatsApp message, admitting that the narration was a "risk," but helium "loved it."

"My girl," Franco allegedly wrote successful Spanish. "If my squad realizes this, it could origin problems for me. It is simply a regularisation for each teams that we cannot speech to minors, and yet I took the hazard and I loved it."

Prosecutors accidental Franco's narration with the girl, present 15, lasted 4 months, and helium paid her to not talk astir it. The girl's parent besides faces charges for wealth laundering based connected gifts sent to her by Franco. Franco and the miss met connected Dec. 9, 2022, aft helium "took her from her home," had enactment doubly successful a two-day span and began their relationship.

Wander Franco, #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, reacts against the New York Yankees earlier the archetypal inning astatine Yankee Stadium connected Aug. 1, 2023 successful New York City. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

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Franco gave the miss the equivalent of $46,000 successful July and August, the documents say, and paid the parent astir $1,700 per month, on with a caller car.

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