UPDATE: The Rays have placed shortstop Wander Franco on the restricted list, which takes him off the roster and is, in most cases, unpaid, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
All-Star Rays shortstop Wander Franco is not making the trip to San Francisco for this week’s series vs. the Giants, as the league investigates social media posts that went viral this weekend. The post in question alleged that Franco, 22, was involved with an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Franco took to Instagram Live on Saturday and denied the allegations.
“During today’s game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander Franco,” the Rays said in a statement Sunday. “We take the situation seriously and are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence.”
The Rays did not detail the nature of the posts they are looking into. Franco was not in the Rays lineup on Sunday, but manager Kevin Cash denied that it was anything more than a scheduled off day.
“I’m aware of the speculation, and I’m not going to comment any further on that,” Cash said. “The day off was because [it was] a day off.”
In his third season with the Rays Franco is slashing .281/.344/.475 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs and is 30-for-40 in stolen base attempts in 112 games. Franco is currently in the second year of a 11-year, $182 million contract.
Earlier this season, the Rays benched Franco for “not being the best teammate,” according to Cash.