Just as the Tampa Bay Rays head to San Francisco for a three-game series starting tonight, it has been announced that they will be missing one of their best players as Wander Franco has been placed on the Restricted List.
“During today’s game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander Franco,” a statement from the Rays said. “We take the situation seriously and are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence.”
There were rumors yesterday that certain social media posts indicated Franco had an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year old girl. He did not play in yesterday’s game and, which was a scheduled day off according to the Rays manager, Kevin Cash. Evidently, he had a scheduled day off despite the day being a Wander Franco youth cap giveaway, ironically enough for children aged 14 and under.
“They say that I’m in public with a little girl, that I’m running around with a minor. People don’t know what to do with their time,” Franco said in Spanish. “They don’t know what they’re talking about. That’s why I prefer to be on my side and not get involved with anybody.”
The Tampa Bay Rays have placed shortstop Wander Franco on the restricted list, which takes him off the roster and is, in most cases, unpaid, an MLB official tells ESPN. The league has launched an investigation into social media posts about Franco from Sunday.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 14, 2023