Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been arrested Monday and charged with “commercial sexual exploitation” after reportedly failing to appear at a summons in the Dominican Republic last week.
Franco is being investigated under suspicion of having multiple inappropriate relationships with minors.
The player failed to show up on Dec. 28 for a meeting with a prosecutor who is investigating him for an alleged relationship with an underage girl.
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. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Prosecutors say that they have evidence of the supposed relationship between the player and the underage girl gleaned from postings on Franco’s social media.
Major League Baseball suspended Franco in August after the charges were made in the Dominican. However, he will still be paid his salary as the investigation continues. The league has not announced whether it intends to discipline the player further.
Franco stopped traveling with the team in August after authorities announced the investigation.
But he went missing after several raids on his home.
Shortstop Wander Franco, #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, throws out Zack Short of the Detroit Tigers at first base during the sixth inning at Comerica Park on August 5, 2023, in Detroit, Michigan. (Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Now, according to the Associated Press, after Franco never showed up at the scheduled meeting on Monday, authorities took the player into custody, where he remains.
Franco currently has an 11-year extension worth $182 million signed in November 2021. He last appeared in the MLB All-Star Gem last year.
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