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Franco, 22, was ordered to meet with
authorities from the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for
Children and Adolescents in the city of Santo Domingo at 11 a.m.
local time. Local newspaper Listin Diario posted a video to
social media at about 11:45 a.m. that showed officials waiting
for his arrival and listing him as a no-show, and agency
director Olga Dina Llaverias later confirmed he did not appear.
Reports Thursday from the Dominican Republic also said that
Franco had fired his legal team, and Dina Llaverias said the
agency would continue building its case.
"There are a few options in the investigative process, but now
is not an opportune time to speak about that," Dina Llaverias
said.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic conducted a pair of
searches Tuesday looking for Franco but were unable to find him,
according to the newspaper.
At least two people have filed lawsuits against Franco, and he
is under investigation for an alleged improper relationship with
a third minor, ESPN reported.
While no legal charges have been filed, Dominican-based MLB
reporter Hector Gomez posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday:
"New evidence has been found in the case of Wander Franco that
further implicates him in the accusations that have been made
against him of alleged relationships with minors."
The Rays placed Franco on the restricted list Aug. 14 and then
on paid administrative leave on Aug. 22 as MLB launched an
investigation into social media posts indicating Franco was
involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
Franco since was moved to Tampa Bay's active roster, but only
because administrative leave is unavailable during the
offseason. He could be placed back on administrative leave when
spring training begins.
Franco, who was first called up in 2021 as one of the most hyped
prospects in recent years, played a career-high 112 games and
was an All-Star for the first time in 2023. He set career highs
in virtually all statistical categories, including home runs
(17), RBIs (58), steals (30) and runs (65) while batting .281
with a .344 on-base percentage and a .475 slugging percentage.
--Field Level Media
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