Dominican judge rules that case against Wander Franco will go to trial

The evidence presented against Rays shortstop Wander Franco merits proceeding to a trail, a judge in the Dominican Republic ruled Thursday, according to multiple reports.

Franco, 23, is charged with human trafficking, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges stem from a relationship with a then-14-year-old girl that started in December 2022, when Franco was 21.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

No date has been set for the trial, which will determine Franco’s guilt or innocence, according to the reports. His case will be heard by a panel of three or five judges; there are no jury trials in the Dominican Republic.

Franco, who is on Major League Baseball’s restricted list, has not played since August 2023. He attended Thursday’s hearing in Puerto Plata, a preliminary step that is part of the Dominican legal process.

According to ESPN, Franco “listened carefully” as Judge Pascual Valenzuela “repeatedly pointed out to him that the decision is not an opinion about his guilt,” but that the evidence is considered worthy of the case moving to the trial stage for the panel to make that determination.

Had Valenzuela not seen it that way, the charges could have been dismissed.

Teodosio Jáquez Encarnación, a lawyer for Franco, told ESPN Thursday what he previously told the Tampa Bay Times: prosecutors do not have sufficient evidence in the case.

Also Thursday, the father of the minor withdrew a complaint he had filed against Franco.

Per ESPN, the father said he had reached an agreement with Franco’s representatives but did not disclose the terms. A lawyer for the father said he felt the evidence against Franco was “unfounded” and that his daughter told him the two did not have a sexual relationship, according to Dominican newspaper Diario Libre.

The Rays still owe Franco $172 million from the 11-year, $182 million contract he signed after his 2021 debut season. The outcome of the trial, as well as an expected investigation by Major League Baseball, could determine the status of that deal.

The Rays paid Franco part of his $2 million salary this season while he was on the administrative leave list, but that ended when he was moved to the restricted list after charges were filed in July.

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