Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – The Tampa Bay Rays shortstop, who was convicted earlier this year for the abuse of a minor, has been taken into custody by police. Authorities reported that he has been admitted to a mental health clinic in the Dominican Republic.
Colonel Diego Pesqueira, a police spokesperson, mentioned that this request for detention and admission came from Franco’s family. He clarified that the player’s visit to the private clinic in his hometown of Bani wasn’t related to any ongoing legal matters.
Just last weekend, the 24-year-old took to social media to report that $16,000 had apparently been stolen from the resort where he was staying.
Franco’s lawyer, Theodocio Jaquez, later indicated that there was some confusion regarding the missing money, which has since been located. Nevertheless, Franco insisted that funds had indeed been taken from him.
In June, he received a conviction for the sexual abuse of a minor, leading to a suspended sentence of two years.
He was accused of a relationship lasting four months with a girl who was 14 at the time, and authorities arrested him in 2024 for transferring significant amounts of money to his mother to maintain this illegal relationship.
Franco’s future in Major League Baseball remains uncertain, though he claims he is still maintaining his training regimen.
He had signed an 11-year contract worth $182 million in November 2021, but his career took a drastic turn when it was suspended abruptly in August 2023.
In November of the same year, he was arrested again after a reported altercation concerning a woman. He faces accusations of unlawfully carrying a semi-automatic Glock 19, which authorities indicated was registered to his uncle.
The legal proceedings surrounding his case are ongoing.
Six months post his 2024 arrest, the Tampa Bay Rays placed him on a restricted list and reduced his salary while on administrative leave. He didn’t report back to the team and required a new U.S. visa, which left him on that list for some time.
