Franco has not played in affiliated baseball since August 2023,when he was placed on administrative leave due to an investigation into allegations of relationships with underage girls in the Dominican Republic. In June 2025,a Dominican court found Franco guilty of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor;he received a suspended sentence of two years in prison. His first trial was voided by a Dominican appeals court that December. His second trial is set to start March 30,2026.
Professional career
Minor leagues
Franco was ranked as one of the top international prospects in the 2017 international class.[1] He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization on July 2,2017,for a signing bonus of $3.85 million.[2][3] He made his professional debut in 2018 with the Princeton Rays. On July 14,Franco hit for the cycle.[4] At 17 years old,Franco was named the 2018 Appalachian League Player of the Year after hitting for a .374/.445/.636 slash line with 11 home runs and 57 runs batted in (RBIs) over 245 plate appearances for Princeton.[5][6][7]
Prior to the 2020 season,Franco was ranked the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. Franco did not play in any minor league contests due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] On September 22,the Rays added Franco to their pool of players who would be eligible to play in the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason[14] but he did not appear in the playoffs. He played in the Dominican Winter League in the 2020-21 offseason with Leones del Escogido,batting .350/.435/.500 in 23 plate appearances.[15]
2021:MLB debut
The Rays invited Franco to major league spring training in 2021,[16] but he did not make the team and began the season in Triple-A with the Durham Bulls.[17] In 39 games with Durham,Franco had a .315/.367/.586 slash line with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.[18]
On June 20,the Rays announced that Franco would be promoted to the major leagues ahead of a series against the Boston Red Sox.[19][20] He was formally selected to the 40-man roster on June 22.[21] Franco made his MLB debut that night.[22] In the game,he recorded his first career hit,home run,and RBI on a three-run shot off of starter Eduardo Rodríguez in the fifth inning.[23] At 20 years and 113 days old,Franco was the second-youngest player (after B. J. Upton) to debut for the Rays.[24]
Franco in 2021
On August 25,Franco reached base safely for the 26th consecutive game,the longest streak by an MLB player under 21 years old since 1961.[25] On September 7,Franco reached base safely for the 37th consecutive time,passing Mickey Mantle’s 36-game on-base streak for a player 20 years old or younger.[26] Franco's streak ended at 43 consecutive games on September 30,leaving him tied with Frank Robinson.[27] Franco finished third in American LeagueRookie of the Year Award voting,losing out to teammate Randy Arozarena.[28][7]
On November 23,Franco and the Rays agreed to an 11-year,$182 million contract extension,with a club option of $25 million for a 12th year. At age 20,Franco became the youngest player in baseball history to sign a contract worth at least $100 million,passing Ronald Acuña Jr.'s eight-year,$100 million contract extension signed in 2019.[29][30] Franco's deal was the largest for any player with less than one year of major league service time,surpassed by Julio Rodríguez's extension in 2022.[31]
2022:injuries
On April 22,2022,Franco had his first multi-home run game against the Red Sox. Franco became the youngest player in franchise history to have a multi homer game,doing so at age 21 and 52 days old.[32]
On May 31,Franco was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained quadriceps.[33] He was activated on June 26.[34] On July 9,Franco returned to the 10-day injured list.[35] Two days later,it was announced Franco would miss five to eight weeks due to hand surgery.[36][37] On September 9,he was activated off the injured list.[38][39] He finished his only full season in the majors batting .277 with 6 home runs and 33 RBI in 83 games.[15]
2023:All-Star and restricted list
On July 4,2023,Franco was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game as the roster replacement for the injured Aaron Judge,who was injured.[40] Franco hit .281 with 17 home runs and 58 RBI for the season.[15]
Franco was placed on the Rays' restricted list on August 13,as MLB and a specialized Minor and Gender Violence Division based in Peravia in the Dominican Republic began investigations into an alleged relationship with a minor. Franco was then placed on indefinite administrative leave by MLB. The league stated the administrative leave "is not disciplinary under the Joint Domestic Violence,Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy".[41]
2024–2026:Off the field
Franco was reinstated to the 40-man roster by the Rays following the conclusion of the 2023 season,as administrative leave is only available in-season.[42] After he was formally charged in July 2024,the Rays requested that he be placed back on the restricted list for failure to report. The terms of his bail theoretically allowed him to leave the Dominican Republic,provided he returned to check in with authorities monthly,but immigration experts told The Athletic that it would have been all but impossible for him to enter the United States while the trial was underway.[43][44] He has remained on the restricted list ever since,and is thus not eligible for pay or accrued service time.
Franco was convicted in June 2025. The nature of the charges will make it prohibitively difficult for him to obtain an American work visa;he is expected remain on MLB's restricted list unless he can secure a visa. MLB's own investigation into Franco is still underway,and he could still be disciplined under MLB's domestic violence policy.[45][46] Earlier,immigration experts told The Athletic that Franco would have had to be fully exonerated to have any realistic chance of getting a visa and could have faced a permanent ban from ever entering the United States again if convicted on the most serious charges.[44] Along similar lines,several immigration lawyers told the Tampa Bay Times that since Franco was convicted of a "crime involving moral turpitude," it would be all but impossible for him to enter the U.S. unless he was fully exonerated on appeal.[47]
Franco's parents are both from Baní,Dominican Republic. His father,also named Wander,played baseball. His mother is the sister of Erick Aybar and Willy Aybar,both of whom played in MLB. His brothers,Wander Alexander Franco and Wander Javier Franco,played in the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants minor league systems.[49][50] Franco dropped out of school after sixth grade to focus on baseball.[49]
Franco married his girlfriend after the 2021 MLB season. They have two sons,born in late 2018 and 2022.[49][51]
Legal issues
Franco was placed on administrative leave by MLB in August 2023 due to investigations into an alleged relationship with a minor,halting his playing career.[41]
On July 9,2024,Franco was charged in the Dominican Republic with sexual abuse,sexual exploitation of a minor,[52] and human trafficking.[53] On June 26,2025,Franco was found guilty and received a suspended sentence of two years in prison.[54][45] On December 9,Franco's conviction was overturned and a new trial was ordered.[55] The new trial is currently scheduled to begin on March 30,2026.[56]
On November 10,2024,while awaiting trial,Franco was arrested in San Juan de la Maguana after an altercation in which guns were drawn.[57][58] He was charged with illegal possession of a handgun in June 2025.[59]
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