Wander Franco's baseball return hits another roadblock as Rays shortstop unlikely to play winter ball for Dominican Republic

Tampa Bay Rays star shortstop Wander Franco hopes to settle his legal disputes soon as he wants to play ball in the Dominican Republic. Escogidos, a Dominican ballclub, is reportedly interested in Franco and would gladly welcome him back to the Dominican Islands once his allegations are resolved.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Franco will have to wait to join the Dominican club as they need more clarity on the allegations.

Since the league and the Dominican Republic authorities began an investigation into Franco's alleged inappropriate relationships with one or more minors in the middle of August, he has been unable to play for the Rays. By mutual agreement, MLB first placed him on the restricted list and then sent him on paid administrative leave.

Wander Franco has been put on the non-playing list by the Rays and the MLB

"A person close to the investigation into allegations Wander Franco had an inappropriate relationship with a minor believes it is 'very unlikely' that Franco plays in MLB again, per @hgomes27" - BRWalkoff

In November 2021, Franco committed to the Rays with an 11-year, $182 million deal. This season, he hit 281/.344/.457 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs before being dropped from the roster after sexual allegation charges were registered against him by three different women.

Given the ambiguity surrounding Franco's future with the Rays, Angel Santana, special assistant for baseball operations at Escogido, recently said that Franco was "welcome" to join the Leones at any moment, which gave Franco hope that he would return to the field as early as the season opener on October 19.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic began looking into Wander Franco after a second formal complaint was filed against him on the same basis. He will unlikely be permitted to play professionally anywhere until a resolution is found.

Wander Franco has charges lodged against him both in the USA and Dominica

"BREAKING: According to the Attorney General of the DR, a second potential 8th grader has allegedly come out against Wander Franco" - TheSkippersView

Therefore, it seems doubtful that the Rays star will play baseball again this month. According to ESPN, he and Escogido have just spoken to one another.

Franco was hitting.281 with 17 home runs, 58 RBI, 65 runs, 30 stolen bases, and a.819 OPS this season as a first-time All-Star before being put on a no-playing list. In November 2021, he agreed to an 11-year, $182 million deal with the Rays.

A $25 million team option was included in the agreement for 2033. It is unclear what the turning point in Wander's story will be, but he's unlikely to see any playing time until he resolves all the allegations against him.