Wander Franco May Have Played His Last MLB Game According To New Report
Tampa Bay Rays' shortstop Wander Franco may soon be out of Major League Baseball forever, according to a new report.
Franco was placed on the restricted list recently after concerning social media allegations surfaced that he had been involved in a relationship with an underage girl.
Franco denied the allegations on Instagram live, but was then hit with a second accusation in the Dominican Republic.
MLB has been conducting an investigation, and a new report from Hector Gomez says that what the league is turning up is very concerning.
According to Gomez's source, "It will be very unlikely that Wander Franco will play in MLB again, judging by the results of the investigations that are currently being carried out, which directly commit him to the accusations against him."
While just one report, it does potentially indicate that the troubling allegations may be confirmed by the multiple investigations against Franco.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - APRIL 08: Wander Franco #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on from the dugout during the third inning against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field on April 08, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Wander Franco's Promising MLB Career Could Soon Be Derailed
Franco entered the league in 2021 at just 20 years of age, after absurdly high prospect hype.
Most prospect evaluators labeled him as one of the next best players in baseball, expectations that he's generally lived up to over his first three seasons.
At just 22-years-old, Franco's been worth 4.7 WAR, per Fangraphs, putting him in a tie for fourth most valuable player in the American League. But if the investigations confirm the disturbing allegations, it would become a near certainty that his playing career would come to an immediate end.
There haven't yet been further reports reaffirming what Gomez posted. But even the suggestion that the allegations are true is extremely concerning.
And if they are confirmed and Franco's once promising career is over at the age of 22, he'll have no one to blame but himself.