A new development has been made in the case regarding former Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco. The 24-year-old, who was found guilty of sexually abusing a minor earlier this year, was detained by police in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday and promptly admitted to a mental health clinic, The Associated Press reports.
According to reports, Franco was only detained and admitted to the mental health facility due to requests from his family. Franco wound up admitted to a private clinic in Baní, Franco’s hometown.
Franco has had several run-ins with the law since being suspended from Major League Baseball. Six months after being arrested in November 2024 for illegally carrying a semiautomatic Glock 19, the Rays put him on their restricted list, which cut off pay he had been receiving. According to the report, Franco’s failure to report to the Rays in early 2025 played the largest role in that decision. Franco would have needed a new visa to do so.
Franco’s criminal history
Franco first started being investigated for sexual abuse of a minor in August 2023. He was arrested in 2024 after evidence of his relationship with a girl who was 14 years old at the time came out. It was also revealed that he’d sent the girl’s mother thousands of dollars to consent to their relationship.
Franco was arrested again later that year for illegally carrying a modded firearm.
Although Franco has not been arrested since, he had an incident recently where he claimed $16,000 had been stolen from him. Although Franco’s attorney later claimed this was all just a confusing mess and the money had been returned, Franco contradicted his attorney’s statement, doubling down that the money had in fact been stolen.
Does Franco have a future in MLB?
It is currently unknown what Franco’s future in MLB will be, if any. Franco has claimed that he is still training for an eventual return.
Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract in 2021. He played in parts of both the 2022 and 2023 seasons before his legal issues. He was one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball when he was healthy.
