Wander Franco Released by Dominican Winter League Team Amid Legal Controversy

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – AUGUST 12: Wander Franco #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field on August 12, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

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Former Tampa Bay Rays All‑Star shortstop Wander Franco’s baseball career has taken another surprising turn following a recent legal development.

Franco signed an 11‑year, $182 million contract with the Rays in 2021 after emerging as one of the game’s most promising young shortstops. His ascent was halted when Dominican authorities opened an investigation into allegations involving a minor, leading to his arrest in January 2024 and a prolonged absence from professional play.

In May, a Dominican judge declared Franco criminally responsible for sexual and psychological abuse of a minor but granted him a judicial pardon, sparing him from imprisonment while sentencing the victim’s mother to jail time.

“It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and, at the same time, exempt him from punishment,” Judge José Antonio Núñez said in the ruling, according to ESPN News Services. “The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one.”

Although the ruling did not reinstate Franco to Major League Baseball, he had been poised to join a Dominican Winter League team for the upcoming LIDOM season. He has now been abruptly released.

LIDOM’s Leones del Escogido announced Saturday that Franco was among four players cut as part of the league’s routine roster evaluation and reserve‑reduction process ahead of its draft. “As part of the evaluation and reserve‑reduction process that is done in a regulated manner before the draft, we have made the decision to release Gerlin Rosario, Wander Franco, William Lugo, and Bryan Gonzalez,” said Escogido general manager Carlos Pena, according to Listin Diario. “It’s an operational decision that responds to the team’s needs and our sporting plan for next season. We wish them all the best in their next steps.”

The release adds another hurdle for a player whose career once appeared destined for long‑term stardom. After debuting with the Rays in 2021, Franco quickly established himself as an elite shortstop and earned one of the largest contracts in franchise history. His professional trajectory was effectively paused when the investigation began, and MLB placed him on the restricted list in 2024 while conducting its own review under the league’s domestic violence, sexual assault, and child‑abuse policy.

Franco’s dismissal from Escogido does not by itself determine his future in baseball, but with his MLB outlook already uncertain and this Dominican league opportunity closed, another potential path back to professional play has vanished.

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