Suspended Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco has been detained by police and admitted to a mental health in his native Dominican Republic nearly three months after being convicted of sexually abusing a minor.
The request to have him detained and admitted came from his family, police spokesman Col. Diego Pesqueira told The Associated Press. He noted that Franco’s admittance into a private clinic in his hometown of Baní is not linked to any legal issues.
Last weekend, the 24-year-old player took to social media to denounce that $16,000 had supposedly been stolen from a resort where he was staying.
His attorney, Teodosio Jáquez, later said there was confusion over the incident and that the money was found. Franco, however, rejected his attorney’s remarks and insisted the money had been stolen.
In June, Franco was convicted of sexually abusing a minor and was given a two-year suspended sentence, which allows him to stay in the Dominican Republic as his baseball career remains in limbo.
He was arrested in 2024 after being accused of having a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14 at the time, and of transferring thousands of dollars to her mother to consent to the illegal relationship.
Suspended Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco has been detained by police and admitted to a mental health in his native Dominican Republic nearly three months after his conviction
Once among the game’s brightest young stars, the 24-year-old’s career is now in limbo
Franco’s future in MLB remains unclear, although he has said he is still training.
In November 2021, Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract, but his career was abruptly interrupted in August 2023, when Dominican authorities announced they were investigating him.
Franco was arrested again in November last year following what Dominican authorities called an altercation over a woman’s attention. He was charged with illegally carrying a semiautomatic Glock 19 that police said was registered to his uncle.
That case is still pending in court.
Six months after his arrest in 2024, Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list, which cut off the pay he had been receiving while on administrative leave.
He was placed on that list because he didn’t report to the team and would need a new U.S. visa to do so.
Franco was once one of the game’s brightest young stars, earning All-Star honors in 2023 while helping to turn Tampa into a contender.
