Wander Franco, who had an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl when he was 21-years-old, plans to play in an upcoming baseball tournament.
Last month, a court found Wander Franco guilty, for the second time, of sexual and psychological abuse of a minor. Despite finding him guilty, the judge granted him a judicial pardon, claiming he was both a defendant and a victim because the minor girl’s mother extorted and blackmailed him. The judge said the minor girl’s mother extorted and blackmailed Franco, and therefore, he was “exempted from punishment.” So he was given no additional jail time and is a free man.
Now, according to an ESPN report, the 25-year-old Wander Franco plans to play for his home country, the Dominican Republic, in the Central American and Caribbean Games, to be held in Santo Domingo from July 31 to Aug. 7.
The report states that the Dominican Baseball Federation wants to add Franco to its roster, but Juan Nunez, president of the federation, said they “will comply with the final decision” of the Dominican Olympic Committee.
Garibaldi Bautista, chairman of the Dominican Olympic Committee, said on Thursday that Franco probably will not be allowed to be included in the official roster because he was not on the preliminary roster submitted by the Quisqueyana delegation.
Wander Franco, technically, hasn’t been suspended from playing
Neither Major League Baseball nor any international baseball authorities have actually suspended Wander Franco from playing. MLB placed him on administrative leave in August 2023. Franco was arrested in January 2024.
He is currently on administrative leave and hasn’t been paid by the Tampa Bay Rays since July 2024. The Tampa Bay Rays still owe Wander Franco almost $160 million on an $182 million contract that he signed in 2021.
“We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time,” Major League Baseball said in a statement following the judge’s decision in June.
Two Hall of Famers, Adrian Beltre and Pedro Martinez, have expressed that they would like to see Franco get a second chance and get to play in Major League Baseball again.