Wander Franco placed on restricted list as MLB opens investigation into allegations

The Tampa Bay Rays announced that shortstop Wander Franco was placed on the restricted list in the wake of Major League Baseball officially opening an investigation into Franco after social media posts regarding Wander appeared over the weekend. This follows the decision to not have Franco travel with the team to San Francisco for their series against the Giants.

What we know about Wander Franco's status

There are no details regarding how long Franco could be on the restricted list, what punishments could be incurred, or even all of the allegations that MLB is looking into at this time. Given that much of this is regarding social media posts made by third parties and nothing has been said under oath, that is as much detail regarding the situation that is going to be provided here.

So far, the Rays have been fairly tight-lipped regarding the situation. They released a statement Sunday stating that they were aware of the situation and were in communication with MLB while they do their due diligence. Their statement today was simply that both the club and Franco mutually agreed to place him on the restricted list for the duration of their current road trip.

In Franco's place, Osleivis Basabe made his major league debut. Basabe was originally signed as an international free agent by the Texas Rangers, but was acquired by the Rays in the deal that sent Nathaniel Lowe to the Rangers before the 2021 season.