Tampa Bay Rays baseball player Wander Franco was convicted in June 2025 of sexually abusing a minor in the Dominican Republic and then received a two-year suspended sentence. His lawyers were able to get a court of appeals to order a retrial and thus a new panel of judges will now oversee Franco’s case, as reported in Yahoo Sports.
“The court understood that there were many flaws, many omissions … many issues, and decided to send the case to a new trial,” Franco’s attorney, Teodosio Jáquez, told the Associated Press.
Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in June. He was accused of having a four-month relationship with a 14-year-old girl and transferring thousands of dollars to her mother to consent to the illegal relationship. He received a two-year suspended prison sentence for the illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, which allows him to remain free so long as he meets certain conditions. Prosecutors had been seeking a five-year sentence.
The minor’s mother was also convicted on sex trafficking charges and received a 10-year prison sentence. The appeals court on 9 December 2025 also granted the mother a new trial.
Yahoo Sports reports that Franco has had several other legal issues since returning to the Dominican Republic, including accusations from two other girls. He was detained by police and sent to a mental health facility at his family’s urging in September.
“In a new trial, the procedures will be reevaluated,” prosecutor José Martínez Montan said, via the Associated Press. “We won the case in the first trial, and we expect the same in the new trial.”
Franco had signed an 11-year, US$182 million deal with the Rays in 2022, which set a team record at the time. He was positioned as the cornerstone of the franchise.
Yahoo Sports reports that in 2023, Franco’s baseball career plummeted when the incident details were known and he was placed on administrative leave and then on the restricted list as allegations came out against him. His MLB career is now on hold indefinitely, and he remains on MLB’s restricted list as his contract runs out.
A sex crimes conviction against a minor would be a significant obstacle preventing Franco from securing a work visa to enter the United States again, meaning his MLB career is likely over if he does not win his new trial.
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Yahoo Sports
11 December 2025