Rays' Wander Franco: Back on 40-man amid investigation
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Franco was activated Thursday from administrative leave, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
This is merely a procedural move, as administrative leave is only applicable during the season and the World Series came to an end Wednesday. Franco is still under investigation from both authorities in the Dominican Republic and Major League Baseball following allegations that emerged this summer involving inappropriate relationships with minors. Topkin notes that Franco's "status to return to playing remains unchanged and uncertain."
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Rays' Wander Franco: Placed on administrative leave
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Franco was placed on administrative leave Tuesday by Major League Baseball under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
He had been on the restricted list in a mutual agreement between the Rays and the player, but Franco has now been shifted to administrative leave as the league and authorities in the Dominican Republic continue their investigations into his alleged inappropriate relationships with minors. Franco doesn't have a set length for his stay on administrative leave, as MLB can typically extend it on a week-by-week basis until the investigations have been completed. Franco will continue to be paid and accrue service time while on leave.
Franco is expected to remain on the restricted list or shifted to administrative leave as Major League Baseball continues its investigation into the player's alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Franco's placement on the restricted list last week was a transaction made by the Rays, whereas a switch to administrative leave would be done by the league as part of the MLB/MLBPA's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. The player's return doesn't appear imminent in either scenario, as the investigation into Franco both by MLB and by authorities in his native Dominican Republic remains ongoing, with no endpoint in sight.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Goes on restricted list
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The Rays placed Franco on the restricted list Monday, and the shortstop will take a leave from the team for the duration of their six-game road trip this week.
In a statement, the Rays noted that the decision to place Franco on the restricted list was mutually agreed upon by the club and the player as Major League Baseball opens up an investigation regarding social media posts made about the 22-year-old over the weekend. Franco's leave could extend beyond this week, pending the results of the investigation.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Not traveling with team
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Franco won't travel with the Rays on the team plane ahead of their upcoming series in San Francisco, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The Rays and MLB are investigating social media posts made about Franco over the weekend, and it appears as though the shortstop will at least be unavailable to begin the team's road trip to the West Coast. Manager Kevin Cash called Franco's absence from Sunday's lineup an off day, and the team declined to comment on Franco not traveling on the team plane. It's possible Franco is placed on the restricted list or administrative leave while the investigation proceeds.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Gets breather Sunday
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Franco isn't in the Rays' lineup Sunday against the Guardians.
After going 1-for-5 with three strikeouts during Saturday's game, Franco will take a seat Sunday while Osleivis Basabe gets the start at shortstop to make his MLB debut.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Cranks walk-off home run
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Franco walloped a walk-off home run in Friday's 9-8 victory over the Guardians.
The Rays' bullpen blew a three-run lead in the top of the ninth inning, but Franco saved their bacon by depositing Nick Sandlin's third pitch of the bottom of the frame over the right-field wall. It was the first walk-off home run of Franco's young career. He also added two singles, a walk and his 30th stolen base of the season in this one. Now with 17 long balls on the year, Franco has an excellent shot at a 20-30 campaign.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Three hits, homer in loss
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Franco went 3-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to St. Louis.
Franco has been on a tear of late, going 10-for-16 (.625) over his previous four games while belting five homers in his last 10 contests. Overall, Franco's slashing .277/.342/.466 with 16 homers, 62 runs scored, 54 RBI and 29 stolen bases across 477 plate appearances in his age-22 campaign.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Another three-hit effort
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Franco went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Tigers.
Franco swatted his 15th home run of the season to put the Rays up 10-6 in the eighth inning. The 22-year-old shortstop has been on an absolute tear at the plate over the last 10 days, posting a .358 batting average while hitting four home runs, driving in five and scoring nine runs in 41 plate appearances. Franco's recent hot bat has propelled the Rays to three straight series wins, as he's looked to have potentially turned a corner entering the final stretch of the season.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Smacks 13th homer
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Franco went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Monday against the Yankees.
Franco was cold for much of July, hitting just .202 with a .669 OPS across 89 at-bats. However, he did manage to end the month on a four-game hitting streak, during which he's hit two home runs and scored five runs. Franco has shown glimpses of breaking out this season, and his strong plate discipline and willingness to steal bases should give him a safe floor of production at a minimum moving forward.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Ends power drought
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Franco went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a stolen base Saturday against the Astros.
Franco went deep in the eighth inning to record his 12th homer of the season, and the first in his last 15 starts. He entered Saturday's game hitting only .145 in that span to go along with three RBI and four runs scored. Franco also snapped a 16-game stretch without a stolen base, and his 29 swiped bags on the season have been his primary source of fantasy value.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Exits lineup Wednesday
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Franco is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Tampa Bay will withhold two of its top hitters from the lineup for the series finale in Franco and Randy Arozarena, with both players seemingly just receiving maintenance for the day game after a night game. Taylor Walls will fill in at shortstop and bat eighth in place of Franco, who went 0-for-7 with a walk between the first two games of the series.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Power returning
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Franco went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against Atlanta.
Franco extended his hitting streak to four games when he popped his 11th home run of the season in the first inning. It was his second long ball in that span, signifying a potential step forward in his production after he went deep only twice across 23 games in June. Though Franco's power production has come sporadically, he's still managed an impressive .185 ISO across 370 plate appearances on the season.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Showcases versatility
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Franco went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and one steal in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to Philadelphia.
Franco clubbed his 10th home run of the season Tuesday, ending Aaron Nola's night with a solo shot in the eighth inning. The young shortstop also reached on a single in the sixth off Nola and swiped second base for his 27th steal in 2023. Franco has been on a tear in his last five games, batting 7-for-21 (.333) with seven RBI, four runs scored, two stolen bases and two triples. He'll look to continue the hot streak Wednesday in a tentative matchup against right-hander Taijuan Walker.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Tallies steal in win
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Franco went 0-for-3 with a walk and a steal in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Royals.
Franco was still able to provide a positive fantasy performance despite going hitless on the afternoon. He stole his 25th bag of the year, and his activity on the bases has been an added element to his game after he combined for just 10 steals over his first two major league seasons. Franco is putting together a productive year at the plate thus far, but has struggled over the course of June, slashing just .229/.295/.357 with two homers, seven RBI, five runs and a 7:11 BB:K since June 5.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Benched through at least Friday
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Rays manager Kevin Cash said Franco will remain out of the lineup through at least Friday's game versus the Royals due to the way the infielder has handled frustrating situations this season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Per Topkin's report, Cash said Franco "is a good kid," and the team hopes to work with him to improve with him in becoming a better teammate and in how he deals with the challenges that come with being a big leaguer. Franco is hitting .250 with one home run and four steals in 17 games this month, and he has uncharacteristically struck out at a 40 percent clip over the last three games. Taylor Walls is starting at shortstop in Thursday's series opener.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Steals in consecutive games
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Franco went 0-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Padres.
Franco is just 2-for-4 on stolen base attempts over his last four games, but the mixed results haven't deterred him from running. The shortstop is now 24-for-31 on the basepaths this season, ranking third in the majors in steals. He's been held hitless five times in 14 games in June, batting .281 for the month and .295 with an .822 OPS over 69 contests overall. He's added eight home runs, 32 RBI and 41 runs scored.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Ends homer drought
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Franco went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Rangers.
Franco went over a month between homers, with his last coming May 9 in Baltimore. The shortstop hit a solid .276 over that 27-game span, but he slugged just .362 in the same stretch. His long ball Sunday was his career-best eighth of the campaign, coming in just his 63rd contest. He's added 32 RBI, 41 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, 19 doubles and two triples while slashing .299/.360/.486.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Two hits in return
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Franco went 2-for-4 with a double in Monday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
Franco picked up where he left off Monday after missing Tampa Bay's previous two games with a hamstring injury. The 22-year-old shortstop has hits in nine straight contests, going 17-for-35 (.486) with a 1.176 OPS in that span. Franco has emerged as an elite fantasy option this season -- he's slashing .308/.372/.498 with seven homers, 21 stolen bases, 29 RBI and 37 runs scored through 253 plate appearances.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Not in Sunday's lineup
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Franco (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The 22-year-old sat out Game 2 of Saturday's twin bill due to the hamstring injury he picked up during the matinee, and it's not a major surprise the Rays will give him at least one full day to rest. According to Topkin, Franco is receiving treatment and could be back in the lineup for Monday's series finale in Boston. Taylor Walls will make another start at shortstop Sunday for Tampa Bay.
