Tampa Bay Rays' Shortstop Wander Franco Gets Released on Bond in Dominican Republic, Playing Future Remains Up in Air

Tampa Bay Rays' shortstop Wander Franco appeared before the judge in the Dominican Republic on Friday morning and we are starting to learn a little bit more about his legal situation.

The All-Star is accused of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering in his home country.

The following report comes from the Associated Press and appeared on ESPN.com:

A judge on Friday ordered the conditional release of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco while he is investigated for allegations he had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and gave her mother a car and thousands of dollars in exchange for her consent, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The judge said Franco is allowed to leave the Dominican Republic but must return once a month to meet with authorities. He also was ordered to pay 2 million Dominican pesos ($34,000) as a type of deposit as the investigation continues...

Authorities accuse Franco of taking the minor away from her home in Puerto Plata in December 2022 and having a four-month relationship with her with consent from the girl's mother.

They accuse Franco of sending the mother monthly payments of $1,700 for seven months and buying her a car "in order to allow the relationship and let her go out with him wherever she wanted," according to the document, which quoted the girl.

The girl also was quoted as saying she had demanded that a local digital media site publish an item about her alleged relationship with the baseball player because she was "tired" of her mother, whom she accused of taking Franco's money and not sharing any of it with her.

Franco was put on MLB's restricted list August while the league begun an investigation into claims that he had inappropriate relationships with minors. Franco missed the Rays' playoff run, which saw them get eliminated in the wild card round by the Texas Rangers.

These developments are the continuation of a stunning fall for Franco, who has gone from one of the best young players in baseball to a guy who may possibly never play again.

Tampa Bay invested the biggest contract in franchise history in Franco, giving him an 11-year deal in 2021. If he's unable to play for all or part of the 2024 season, the team's chances of competing in the loaded American League East certainly goes down.

The 22-year-old made his debut in 2021 and owns a lifetime .282 average over three seasons. He made the All-Star team in 2023 and hit .281 for the Rays, who won 99 games. He also had 17 homers, 58 RBI and 30 stolen bases.

His contract was for $182 million.