AP Picture/Chris O’Meara
The Tampa Bay Rays positioned shortstop Wander Franco on the restricted record Monday amid an MLB investigation into social media posts involving him from Sunday, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The workforce launched a statement that stated, “The Tampa Bay Rays and Wander Franco have mutually agreed that he’ll go on the Restricted Listing and take go away from the Membership during the present highway journey.”
In accordance with TMZ, “social media posts emerged over the weekend that allegedly confirmed [Franco] in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.”
Franco didn’t play in Sunday’s 9-2 loss towards the Cleveland Guardians, and Passan reported that he did not journey with the workforce to San Francisco for the Rays’ collection towards the Giants. Tampa Bay supervisor Kevin Money stated that Franco’s absence from Sunday’s sport was not associated to the investigation.
“I am conscious of the hypothesis, and I am not going to remark any additional on that,” Money stated after Sunday’s loss. “The day without work was as a result of [it was] a day without work.”
The Rays known as up Osleivis Basabe to begin at shortstop on Sunday towards the Guardians. Per Passan, Basabe came upon he’d be making his MLB debut on Saturday evening throughout his sport with Triple-A Durham.
Franco, who was chosen to his first All-Star Recreation this season, is hitting .281/.344/.457 with 17 dwelling runs and 58 RBI. The 22-year-old signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in November 2021, and the deal might attain as high as $223 million if the workforce workout routines its choice in 2033.
