Here’s everything we know about the investigation against the Rays shortstop.
Wander Franco hasn’t played in a game for the Tampa Bay Rays since August 12, with the star shortstop being placed on the Major League Baseball restricted list soon after.
What happened that changed his status? There’s an investigation unfolding, both from MLB and his native Dominican Republic, stemming from accusations made against him on social media.
If you’re catching up on the story or have no idea what’s going on, we’re here to help. Here’s a breakdown of what those allegations are and where the investigations are at while Franco continues to sit out from Rays games:
The MLB All-Star Week is a time of celebration across the league. It’s a time when baseball’s best of the best all congregate in one place to show off their skills as representatives of their teams.
Unfortunately for the Tampa Bay Rays, an announcing snafu skipped the introductions of two of its players during Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Shortstop Wander Franco and pitcher Shane McClanahan were both absent from the All-Star Game introduction announcements despite taking the field during that time.
While neither Franco nor McClanahan were among the American League starters — as Randy Arozarena and Yandy Díaz were both introduced — the pair were seemingly skipped over so the Seattle Mariners could get reception from their hometown crowd.
#Rays Franco and McClanahan didn’t get introduced with all the other reserves and pitchers; they were after the #Mariners and as they ran out from CF the camera and attention stayed on the hometown guys. How does the PA announcer skip them?
Talk about an extremely bizarre oversight for sure. The Rays on Twitter, meanwhile, took matters into their own hands about introducing Franco and McClanahan to the festivities.
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Whether or not you agree that Wander Franco should or shouldn’t have flipped the ball up in the air on a routine grounder before firing it to first for an out, it’s OK to admit that it was awesome. This man is an incredible infielder, as we saw a week ago with his over-the-shoulder barehanded catch.
Now, on to the debate: Stop it.
This falls under bat flipping on home runs and pitchers getting pumped after huge strikeouts. We should love all of it. The game of baseball is a delight and when amazing things happen, we should be in awe instead of pooh-poohing “showboating” or “breaking the unwritten rules.”
The thing that professional sports teams can do the most for their athletes to let them be themselves. As long as Franco doesn’t do that and then watch as a runner is safe at first, the league-leading Tampa Bay Rays — SIX losses as of right now, which is absurd — should be wowed like the rest of us and watch him continue to rake at the plate and make dazzling plays in the field.
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) May 4, 2023
And — as I’ve said over and over with the new rules like the pitch clock — baseball needs this. A younger audience that’s already seeing more action, quickly and with more stolen bases will love to tune in to see what Wander will do next after seeing that viral highlight.
So, let’s move on here.
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No one is having as much fun playing baseball as Wander Franco is right now.
After stunning MLB fans with an awesome over-the-shoulder barehanded catch not too long ago, Franco is continuing to impress with his fielding ability. This time, however, Franco added some flourish to a routine baseball play.
Dubbed a “ball flip” by fans, Franco scooped up a ground ball behind second base then proceeded to spin it in the air before firing to first for an out. Not only was Franco’s throw to first base on the money, he had more than enough time to get the Pittsburgh Pirates runner out too.
You’ve seen bare-handed catches (hello, David Wright). You’ve seen over the shoulder grabs (hello, Willie Mays).
But how about both in one play? Hello, Wander Franco.
On Monday night, during yet another Tampa Bay Rays win — they’re 20-3 as of publishing this!! — the Houston Astros’ Martin Maldonado hit a foul ball to the third base side. Franco ran it down from shortstop and reached both his glove and his right hand for the ball.
And then he came up with it … in his bare hand. Every angle of the play will wow you more. Heck, it even looks like he caught it with his fingertips in the last replay!
