Tampa Bay Rays Place Wander Franco On Restricted List One Day After Holding Ill-Timed Giveaway For Fans 14 And Under

Wander Franco did not travel with the Tampa Bay Rays to San Francisco ahead of their game against the Giants on Monday. He also missed Sunday's game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Tampa Bay then placed Franco on the restricted list on Monday afternoon. According to a statement from the team's communications department, he and the organization agreed that his designation will last through the current road trip, which ends on Sunday, Aug. 20.

Not long thereafter, the team issued another statement in support of the ongoing MLB investigation:

Franco, 22, was considered the top prospect in Major League Baseball prior to being called up in 2021. Tampa Bay signed him to a massive 11-year contract extension later that season.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Franco's absence on Sunday was "just a day off." However, the young shortstop was in the dugout with his teammates up until the fifth inning.

He abruptly left the dugout in that inning. Not long thereafter, the team announced that it and the MLB are investigating a large number of claims made against Franco on social media.

He did not travel to California as a result of the ongoing investigation.

All of the uncertainty surrounding Franco came with terrible timing.

He did not play on Sunday — a game at which the team held a Franco-focused giveaway.

It handed out alternate snapback hats with an image of a player wearing No. 5 on the side. That player, of course, is Franco. On the underside of the bill read "El Patron," which is Franco's nickname.

Fans who were 14 years of age or younger were the only people to receive the hat.

Fans were seen wearing the hat in the stands throughout the game.

Meanwhile, Franco was not in the lineup. He later left the dugout.

The timing of the promotion could not have been worse. Franco is not with the team at the moment.