Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who hasn’t played since 2023, when he was placed on administrative leave during a sex crime investigation, faces 30 years in prison if found guilty at a trial that began Monday morning in the Dominican city of Puerto Plata.
Pelotero Wander Franco enfrenta juicio de fondo en tribunal de Puerto Plata https://t.co/rTcHkLdPRU pic.twitter.com/FYyX0BNPWc
— José Gutiérrez (@gentetuya) June 2, 2025
The shortstop is charged with multiple crimes resulting from his alleged relationship with a 14-year-old Dominican girl, which were laid last year following the investigation that resulted in his being placed on administrative leave in 2023. He also faces a gun charge stemming from an arrest in San Juan de la Maguana, D.R., in November 2024 while he was on supervised release following his arrest on the sexual abuse charges, though he claims the gun was licensed.
His attorney says, “there is no case against Wander,” according to a report in the New York Post, while Franco said last December that his baseball career will go on.
“I did not had a career,” Franco said in December. “This is not over.”
Autoridades dominicanas indican que están listas y tienen "pruebas contundentes" en contra de #WanderFranco a pocos días de retomar la etapa de fondo del proceso judicial que se conoce contra el torpedero de los Rays en Puerto Plata. pic.twitter.com/Y2fOdzNjLL
— Juan Arturo Recio (@JuanRecioM) May 31, 2025
Prosecutors, for their part, declared over the weekend that they have “convincing evidence” against Franco, who is charged with sexual abuse and psychological abuse. The victim’s mother is also charged with money laundering, because Franco’s mother transferred 1 million pesos (approximately US$17,000) to the victim’s mother to get her to consent to the alleged abusive relationship between Franco and the victim.
According to a press release issued by the Dominican Prosecutor General’s office, the victim’s mother is being prosecuted for sexual exploitation and money laundering, and her name has been withheld to protect the teenager’s identity.
Franco, 24, faces up to 30 years in prison should he be found guilty, which would almost certainly end his promising baseball career.
He signed a $182 million, 11-year contract with the Rays in 2021.
Photo: Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco sits in court during his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
