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Wander Franco update: Disgraced Rays star attempting comeback in Dominican Republic
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- Wander Franco update: Disgraced Rays star attempting comeback in Dominican Republic
Wander Franco may be returning to the baseball field after all. The disgraced Tampa Bay Rays shortstop is attempting a comeback in the Dominican Republic a month after being found guilty of sexually abusing a minor in Dominican court.
The Dominican Baseball Federation reportedly hopes to add Franco to its roster for the Central American and Caribbean Games, which take place in Santo Domingo from July 24 to Aug. 8. Franco hasn't played in MLB since August 2023, when allegations of him being in a relationship with a teenager emerged.
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Franco's comeback attempt comes shortly after a Dominican court found him guilty of sexually and psychologically abusing a minor. The 25-year-old didn't receive a sentence for the offense, however, because he received a judicial pardon. While neither MLB nor international baseball authorities have suspended Franco, his status for the Central American Games remains cloudy because the Dominican Republic did not place him on their preliminary roster, according to ESPN's Enrique Rojas .
What did Wander Franco do?
Franco was accused of dating a 14-year-old for four months, and in the process paying her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. While Franco was found guilty in Dominican court, Judge Jose Antonio Nunez granted him a judicial pardon because of what Nunez deemed was extortion and blackmail by the mother.
"It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and, at the same time, exempt him from punishment," Nunez said, per ESPN . "The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one."
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It's highly unlikely Franco, who signed a $182 million contract extension with the Rays in 2021, will ever play in MLB again.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Wander Franco update: Disgraced Rays star attempting comeback in Dominican Republic
