Once upon a time, Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco appeared to be a rising superstar with limitless potential in the sport. But unfortunately, his incredibly concerning poor decisions in his personal life have seemingly brought an end to his MLB career for good.
Franco hasn’t played in the MLB since 2023 after being accused of having an illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl from the Dominican Republic when he was 21 years old. Subsequently, he was placed on the MLB’s restricted list, barring him from playing in another MLB game while they complete an internal investigation into the matter.
While the MLB’s investigation has not concluded, legal proceedings did come to an end on Thursday. According to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse due to the relationship with the girl, receiving a two-year prison sentence for his relationship with the girl.
BREAKING: Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic for an illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl when he was 21. He received a two-year prison sentence, according to @JuanRecioM.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 26, 2025
Given the severity of the situation, most MLB fans were incredibly surprised to see that Franco received just a two-year sentence.
ONLY TWO?!
— IcyVert (@IcyVert) June 26, 2025
ONLY 2!?!? bros gonna be back in the leauge in no time
— Owen Murray (@owenmurr1) June 26, 2025
2 YEARS??? Bro what’s up with the Dominican Republic Justice System?
— CJ🇯🇲🇺🇸 (@HanchoJackHTX) June 26, 2025
Only 2 years?! Nice to see the Dominican Republic caring so much about these kind of crimes 😑
— Joe M (@jFudgy_) June 26, 2025
While Franco appears to have gotten off easy for the incident, his chances of playing in an MLB game again still seem to remain incredibly unlikely.
Not only would the MLB need to take him off the restricted list. But he would also need to reacquire a work visa to return to the United States, which could prove difficult to obtain based on his involvement in this incident.
Either way, it’s certainly unfortunate to see someone as talented as Franco throw their MLB career away in this fashion.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.