According to the report, Wander Franco is accused of sexual abuse and exploitation of minors

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was formally charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Juan Recio.

Now that charges have been officially filed, Franco will go to trial. If found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison.

Franco, 23, is accused of having a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and paying her mother for her consent to continue the relationship. Prosecutors allege Franco paid the girl’s mother thousands of dollars and even gave her a car.

Franco was arrested in January for failing to attend a meeting with the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Children and Adolescents in Santo Domingo.

He was placed on leave last August and will remain on leave until July 14 after receiving an extension from MLB and MLBPA. He last played for the Rays on August 12, 2023.

While on leave, Franco will continue to be paid by the Rays, earning $2.45 million in 2024 and signing an 11-year, $182 million contract with Tampa that runs through the 2033 season.

Before his absence, Franco was a rising star in MLB and appeared in his first All-Star game last season. In 265 games of his major league career, all for the Rays, he hit 30 home runs, 130 RBIs and had an OPS of .795.