Wander Franco was found guilty on Thursday of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic.
The Tampa Bay Rays shortstop was given a two-year suspended prison sentence for his illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, meaning Franco won’t go to prison if he complies with the conditions the judge set, including not approaching underage girls with sexual intentions. If Franco fails to comply, he will be sent to prison, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Wander Franco's two-year prison sentence is suspended, according to @JuanRecioM. If he fails to meet conditions set by the judge — the main one being he does not approach minors with sexual intentions — he will have to serve the sentence. https://t.co/p6Ltc9S1nB
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 26, 2025
The victim’s mother was sentenced to ten years in prison for sexually trafficking her daughter.
What this means for Wander Franco’s MLB future
Franco’s illegal sexual relationship with the girl first surfaced in August 2023. He was initially placed on the administrative list, which allowed him to be paid at the time. Franco had signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in November 2021.
Franco was then placed on baseball’s restricted list in July 2024 after he was charged, meaning he wasn’t paid and didn’t accrue service time.
Now that Franco has been convicted, it will be incredibly difficult for him to obtain a work visa in the United States.
“He is currently on MLB’s restricted list for failure to report, and without a work visa, he would not be able to do so,” Passan reports.
Regardless of Wander Franco's prison sentence being suspended, the conviction is likely to make it difficult for him to get a work visa in the United States. He is currently on MLB's restricted list for failure to report, and without a work visa, he would not be able to do so.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 26, 2025
Major League Baseball has been investigating Franco but waited to determine its punishment until his legal proceedings concluded in the Dominican Republic. Now that he’s been sentenced, MLB will determine their punishment as well.
The Tampa Bay Times reports the Rays can seek to have Franco’s contract voided “based on the moral turpitude issue.”
Franco will go down as one of baseball’s biggest “what-ifs.” Before his illegal relationship came to light in August 2023, he had just made the All-Star team for the first time the previous month.
Over three seasons and 265 games with the Rays (2021-2023), Franco slashed .282/.340/.454, with 30 home runs, 61 doubles, 164 runs scored, 130 RBI, a 123 OPS+ and 11.3 bWAR. He was on the cusp of superstardom before his conviction.
It’s now highly unlikely he will ever play another MLB game.
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