Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash benches Wander Franco for not being a great teammate

The Tampa Bay Rays made the difficult decision to bench Wander Franco at a crucual stage of the season.

The Rays lead atop of the American League East has shrunk to 4.5 games over the past few weeks. They cannot afford any slip ups. The move to sideline of one of MLB's star shortstops raises several questions about his attitude and behaviour.

According to reports, manager Kevin Cash confirmed the news but was tight-lipped about the reasons behind the shortstop's absense for Thursday's home game against the Kansas City Royals:

"Over the course of this season, there's been probably multiple times that the way he has handled his frustrations have not been the way that we ask our players to uphold being the best teammate."

Cash went on to confirm that Franco would sit out for Friday's game as well and did not set a return date.

"The Rays have left Wander Franco out of the lineup tonight because he needs to handle his frustrations better, per @TBTimes_Rays" - Talkin' Baseball

The 22-year-old is one of the most talented young infielders in the game but questions remain about his conduct and maturity.

His famous ball-flip when fielding a routine ground ball earlier in the year was a talking point. He has been vocal during arguments with umpires and extremely animated when things don't go his way.

Shortstop Wander Franco has been one of the league's most consistent hitters this season

Wander Franco is congratulated after scoring a run during a game against the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field

On the field, no one can question Franco's commitment and effort. He has been one of the league's most consistent hitters and has been solid defensively. The shortstop's strong year has been key to the Tampa Bay Rays' MLB-best 52-26 start.

".@RaysBaseball manager Kevin Cash explains the decision to bench Wander Franco for a couple of games." - Bally Sports Sun: Rays

Over 72 games, the Dominican is slashing .287/.349/.455 and has already recorded eight home runs and 34 RBIs. He ranks second in the American League in stolen bases (24), fifth in hits (82) and seventh in doubles (20).

The Rays will still be the favorites during the four-game series against the Royals but they face a tricky upcoming schedule. The club will hope to have Franco focused and sharp for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners next week.