On Friday, a Dominican judge let Tampa Bay Rays shortstop, Wander Franco leave the country while investigators probe claims he had a brief romance with a teenager.
Judge says Franco can go, but must come back monthly for check-ins. He was also ordered to pay a deposit of 2 million Dominican pesos ($34,000) while the inquiry is ongoing.
Rumaldi Marcelino, the case’s judge, had many choices for a verdict on Friday. Here are the alternatives:
- Release Franco on bail.
- Temporarily jail him.
- Bar him from leaving the Dominican Republic, or require him to make periodic appearances until the investigation or trial was completed.
Franco, who was arrested on Monday in Puerto Plata’s northern region, has not been charged with any offenses.
A nearly 600-page document summarizing the evidence obtained by prosecutors during a months-long investigation was delivered to the court.
Here’s a quick timeline of the Wander Franco’s relationship scandal at a glance:
Allegedly in 2022, Franco had a 4-month relationship with a 14-year-old girl after abducting the minor from her home in Puerto Plata.
In July 2023, a complaint against Franco reached the National Directorate of Children, Adolescents, and Families. The girl, now older, wanted to reveal the relationship due to her mom allegedly profiting off it.
Franco is accused of taking the girl for 2 days in December 2022 and having sex with her, which is illegal. The complaint says the relationship lasted 4 months, with the mom’s consent.
Also, Franco allegedly paid the mom $10,000 to keep quiet and bought her a car to keep things going.
Police discovered $80,000+ $68,500 Dominican Pesos stashed in the mother’s residence, a new Suzuki Swift, and $2.1 million Dominican Pesos in land during a raid in September 2023.
Alerta Mundial, a Twitter account, reported that Wander Franco was aware of the risk he undertook to get involved with a minor.
Wander’s messages exchanged with the minor girl are now used by the Public Ministry in their request for coercive measures against him.
As per the legal documents, one of the WhatsApp messages from Franco read:
“My girl, if my team realizes this it could cause problems for me, it is a rule in all teams not to talk to minors and, nevertheless, I took the risk and I loved it.”
🇩🇴⚾ | Wander Franco on relationship with a minor: "I took a risk and I loved it"
An extract of the conversations that the baseball player Wander Franco supposedly had and that the Public Ministry uses against him in the request for coercive measures to which Diario Libre had… pic.twitter.com/h3a3R4MkxZ
— ALERTAS MUNDIAL 🗺️ (@AlertasMundial) January 5, 2024
In August 2023, MLB and Dominican authorities started investigating Franco. Plus, MLB put Franco on temporary leave until the season ended. In October 2023, Franco rejoined his team after the season, as administrative leave only applies during the season.
On January 5, 2024, Franco appeared in the Dominican Republic at the Palace of Justice in the city of Puerto Plata for a coercive measure accusing him of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering.
Now, Franco’s future with the team depends on the inquiry’s outcome.
Wander Franco married his girlfriend after the 2021 season and they have 2 sons. Wander Samuel Franco Jr., was born in late 2018, and have another son, born in 2022.
Wander Franco, a highly touted international prospect, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017.
He made his professional debut in 2018, earning the Appalachian League Player of the Year title at just 17.
Franco continued to excel, entering the 2019 season as baseball’s fourth-best prospect and finishing with impressive stats.
Although invited to the 2021 spring training, he started the season in Triple-A but was promoted to the Rays in June.
In November 2021, Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract extension, becoming the youngest player to secure a $100 million deal.
In the 2022 season, he made history by becoming the youngest Rays player with a multi-home run game.
In 2023, he earned his first All-Star selection as a replacement.
