Report: Tampa Bay Rays' Shortstop Wander Franco Likely to Be Prohibited From Returning to United States

According to Ken Rosenthal of 'The Athletic,' who spoke with multiple immigration attorneys, Tampa Bay Rays' shortstop Wander Franco is likely to be barred from entering the United States, putting his availability for the 2024 season further at risk.

Here's a refresher on the legal situations facing Franco, who faces allegations of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering in his home country. 

Here's the latest from Rosenthal on the situation, and you can read his full story here:

A judge in the Dominican Republic on Friday ruled that Franco is free to leave the country but must return once a month to appear before authorities. Franco was released from custody Monday afternoon. The U.S. government, however, could revoke Franco’s visa on the grounds he could be considered a threat to public safety based upon the allegations against him, according to Amy Maldonado, who said she is outside counsel for four major-league teams (but not the Rays).

“The likelihood he would come into the U.S., even if he had a valid visa that wasn’t revoked, is minimal,” said Khazaeli, who also has worked in senior immigration positions for both the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor.

“To be honest, if I was his immigration attorney, I would tell him not to even try. Then he would open himself up to being detained at the border (by U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and being put into custody here until an administrative adjudication of these claims.”

Franco was put on MLB's restricted list August while the league begun an investigation into claims that he had inappropriate relationships with minors. Franco missed the Rays' playoff run, which saw them get eliminated in the wild card round by the Texas Rangers.

These developments are the continuation of a stunning fall for Franco, who has gone from one of the best young players in baseball to a guy who may possibly never play again.

Tampa Bay invested the biggest contract in franchise history in Franco, giving him an 11-year deal in 2021. If he's unable to play for all or part of the 2024 season, the team's chances of competing in the loaded American League East certainly goes down.

The 22-year-old made his debut in 2021 and owns a lifetime .282 average over three seasons. He made the All-Star team in 2023 and hit .281 for the Rays, who won 99 games. He also had 17 homers, 58 RBI and 30 stolen bases.

His contract was for $182 million but is also now completely up in the air, per Rosenthal's reporting:

If Franco is unable to enter the U.S. by Opening Day, the Rays would have no choice but to place him on the restricted list, preventing him from getting paid. A conviction in the Dominican Republic would be an aggravated felony under U.S. immigration law and result in a permanent ban from the U.S, the immigration attorneys said.

In that scenario, Franco would forfeit the remaining $174 million on the 11-year, $182 million deal he signed in Nov. 2021. He would not be paid because he could not fulfill the obligations of his contract.