Wander Franco

Wander Samuel Franco Aybar (born March 1, 2001), nicknamed "El Patron", is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop who last played for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 and was an All-Star in 2023. Franco has not played in affiliated baseball since August 2023, when he was placed on administrative leave due to an investigation into allegations of relationships with underage girls in the Dominican Republic. In 2025, a Dominican court found Franco guilty of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a 14-year-old minor; he received a suspended sentence of two years in prison. His first trial was voided by a Dominican appeals court. In 2026, Franco was re-tried and found criminally responsible for sexual and psychological abuse, but was judicially pardoned and spared jail time because the minor's mother had blackmailed him.