Wander Franco officially charged with sexual abuse of a minor

Franco, now 23, has been under investigation in the Dominican Republic since July 2023 after charges were filed against him for having sexual relations with a teenage girl.

According to authorities, Wander was also accused of human trafficking.

The child’s mother is also named in the indictment. Prosecutors claim Franco paid the mother thousands of dollars to look the other way and allow the relationship to continue.

As we already reportedFranco last played in a major league game in August 2023 after posts on X went viral that appeared to show him having a relationship with a minor. He was placed on leave shortly thereafter.

Although he is on leave, Franco, who signed an 11-year, $182 million contract at the end of 2021, will continue to be paid by the Rays franchise.

On the field, Franco was a key player in the Rays’ success. In his three seasons with the club, he had a .282 batting average, hit 30 home runs and scored 130 runs.

Franco is technically on leave until July 14… a deadline that will inevitably be extended. But that’s not the most pressing issue for the baseball star.