Wander Franco Breaking: Rays star can post bail for $35,000 after Judge's ruling, tied down to monthly court visit for six months
The Wander Franco saga has been one of the biggest stories in the MLB since the accusations against him first emerged. The 22-year-old shortstop of the Tampa Bay Rays has been at the forefront of controversy since an alleged inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl surfaced in his home country of the Dominican Republic.
Now, after a hearing from a Judge in the Dominican Republic, Wander Franco received updates regarding the case around him. According to the judge who is presiding over his case, the shortstop will be able to leave the Dominican Republic but will need to appear in court once a month for six months.
"BREAKING: A judged as ruled that Wander Franco must post bail for 2 million Dominican pesos, about 35k dollars and present himself to court once a month for 6 months as part of the process against him . The mother of the minor in the center of the allegations who’s accused of comercial sexual exploitation and money laundry was ordered to remain on House Arrest and can’t leave the Dominican Republic." - @hgomez27
According to MLB insider Hector Gomez, Franco will also need to post 2 million Dominican pesos bail, which equates to roughly $35,000. This is a major update for the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop because although the case will proceed, he does not have to remain in the Dominican Republic or be placed under house arrest.
The All-Star shortstop was enjoying the best season of his career last year until the team placed Franco on the restricted list on Aug. 14. The Dominican shortstop signed a $182 million, 11-year contract in 2021.
The girl's mother in the Wander Franco case remains under house arrest
The mother of the girl in the middle of the Franco allegations will not be granted the same freedoms that the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop was given. As per Hector Gomez, the girl's mother will remain under house arrest, unable to leave the Dominican Republic.
According to multiple reports regarding the situation, the girl's mother is facing the same charges as Wander Franco. Both the shortstop and the girl's mother are facing charges of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. It remains to be seen how long that saga will continue, but the more documents continue to be released, the more confusing and unbelievable the situation becomes.