Rays Place Wander Franco On Restricted List After Troubling Allegations

The Tampa Bay Rays will be without All-Star shortstop Wander Franco for at least their next six games.

The Rays announced in a statement Monday that Franco and the organization mutually agreed he will go on the restricted list and take leave for the duration of Tampa Bay’s current road trip, a stretch that includes three games against the San Francisco Giants and three games against the Los Angeles Angels.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times added that Major League Baseball opened an official investigation into allegations Franco has been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The allegations surfaced Sunday in social media posts.

“We support any steps taken by the league to better understand the situation,” the Rays said Monday in a statement, per Topkin. “Out of respect for all parties involved, we have no further comments at this time.”

Franco, one of MLB’s best young players, didn’t play Sunday, a decision Rays manager Kevin Cash chalked up to normal rest. The Rays released a statement shortly after the game, though, indicating they were made aware of the aforementioned social media posts during the contest and were in close contact with MLB as the league did its due diligence.

Franco, 22, earned his first All-Star selection this season. He’s batting .281/.344/.475 with 17 home runs, 58 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 112 games.