Wander Franco Update: Multiple new charges surface as Rays star potentially faces 20 years prison time

Wander Franco has officially been charged for his crimes against a minor. The former Tampa Bay Rays shortstop is being accused of alleged sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor. He has been out of baseball since these allegations first arose last year.

Juan Arturo Recio, a sports writer who also works in the legal field, revealed the charges on X, formerly known as Twitter:

"Update: Through a press release, Dominican authorities indicate that in addition to the crimes of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor, Wander Franco is being accused of human trafficking. This crime has penalties up to 20 years in prison."

In addition to the charges against the minor, Franco is also being accused of something illegal on a much grander scale: human trafficking. All told, Franco may end up spending two decades in prison if he is found guilty.

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Will Wander Franco play in the MLB again? Will he share the same fate as that of Trevor Bauer?

Wander Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays just 70 games into his big-league career. It was a rare move for a franchise that always hesitates to pay players. That was the sort of talent Franco had.

However, he may not play again. The former shortstop has been on leave for about a year and there's no end in sight. Even if he's found innocent of the admittedly serious charges he officially faces now, he likely won't return to the Rays or any other team.

Wander Franco has officially been charged with sex crimes (Imagn)

The case against Trevor Bauer didn't result in a conviction and his alleged crimes were not against minors nor were they as significant as a human trafficking accusation. Despite this, Bauer has not been signed back to an MLB team, which indicates that the MLB and its teams aren't interested in bringing back people accused of sex crimes, no matter how talented they might be.

Franco was a good player, but teams will likely steer clear of him from now on, no matter what the outcome of this case holds.