Dominican shortstop Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave before the start of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Opening Day against the Toronto Blue Jays, MLB announced Thursday morning.
This license removes him from the Rays’ 40-man roster and is effective until June 1, according to an MLB official. The decision was made jointly between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association.
The Rays and Franco reached a mutual agreement to place the star shortstop on the restricted list on August 14, when MLB and authorities in the Dominican Republic began investigating allegations that Franco had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. age. The Dominican was placed on indefinite administrative leave on August 22 and did not play for Tampa Bay for the rest of the year.
He returned to the Rays’ 40-man roster in a routine move early in the offseason, but the 23-year-old shortstop did not report to spring camp and was not expected to be part of the Opening Day roster.
Franco has not been formally reported and there has been no update on MLB’s investigation. If there is nothing new regarding the situation by the end of the administrative leave, the parties will reconvene to decide whether to extend the period, move it to the restricted list, or consider other options. The administrative leave could also end sooner, if there is a drastic change in Franco’s case.
Rays manager Kevin Cash declined to talk about the Dominican’s situation at team practice Wednesday, but said the following: “I’m sure there’s new news coming.” The club made no official comments on the matter.
Administrative leave is not considered a punishment. Under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy negotiated between MLB and the MLBPA, players on administrative leave continue to receive their salary and service time in the Majors while they are off the roster. The club continued to pay Franco $2 million last season as part of the 11-year, $182 million guaranteed extension he signed after the 2021 season.
(With information from MLB)
2024-03-28 20:28:40
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