Report: Dominican authorities searching for Wander Franco

Authorities unable to find Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco after searching for him in connection with alleged relationship with minor.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic conducted two searches on Tuesday in an attempt to locate Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco. However, they were unable to find him, according to a report from the Dominican newspaper Listin Diario.

According to the report, authorities believe that Franco had a relationship with a minor in Puerto Plata, a coastal city located 130 miles north of Santo Domingo. The members of the Santo Domingo Children's and Adolescents Prosecutor's Office first visited Franco's "maternal home" in the city of Bani and then proceeded to his home in Villa Real, which is about 55 miles south. Unfortunately, Franco, who is 22 years old, was not at either residence.

The report did not specify whether Franco was considered a fugitive or if authorities would continue their search for him. However, it did mention that it would be typical for authorities to leave a contact number with Franco's wife so that he could reach out to them.

MLB reporter Hector Gomez posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, "New evidence has been found in the case of Wander Franco that further implicates him in the accusations that have been made against him of alleged relationships with minors."

The Rays placed Franco on the restricted list on August 14 and then on paid administrative leave on August 22 as MLB launched an investigation into social media posts indicating that Franco was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Despite this, Franco has since been moved to Tampa Bay's active roster, but this change is only due to the fact that administrative leave is unavailable during the offseason. He could potentially be placed back on administrative leave when spring training begins.

Franco, who was first called up in 2021 as one of the most hyped prospects in recent years, played a career-high 112 games and was an All-Star for the first time in 2023. He set career highs in virtually all statistical categories, including home runs (17), RBIs (58), stolen bases (30), and runs (65) while batting .281 with a .344 on-base percentage and a .475 slugging percentage.

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