Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was arrested in the Dominican Republic on Monday afternoon, according to ESPN. The arrest stems from Franco’s failure to appear at summons last week — an important distinction since it means Franco was not detained as a result of an advancement in the ongoing investigation into his alleged inappropriate relationships with multiple minors.
Franco and new attorneys Teodosio Jáquez Encarnación and Juan Francisco Rodríguez Consoró met with prosecutors on Monday morning to address those accusations. Dominican Republic laws stipulate that he’ll go before a judge within 48 hours, or sometime on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at latest.
The Rays issued no comment to the Tampa Bay Times when asked about the Monday’s develpments.
ESPN reported last week that at least two people have “filed legal action” against Franco, and that a third had accused him of improper behavior without yet seeking legal action. Dominican authorities and MLB have continued to investigate the allegations made against him.
The Associated Press reported that Franco recently changed his legal representation.
Franco, 22, was placed on Major League Baseball’s Restricted List in August after he was first accused of the improper relationship on social media. Franco continued to be paid for the rest of the season despite not appearing in a game since Aug. 12. The Rays, in what amounted to a paper move, activated him to the 40-player roster at the beginning of the offseason.
Franco signed an 11-year extension worth $182 million with the Rays back in November 2021. He made the All-Star Game this past summer.
