Dec 12, 2024, 11:41 AM ET
The trial of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who is due to stand trial on charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking that could result in a sentence of up to 20 years, was postponed on Thursday until June 2, 2025 after a judge in the Dominican Republic ruled that key witnesses were not located in time to meet the originally scheduled Dec. 12 date.
Of the 36 witnesses scheduled to testify, only three were present in the courtroom in Puerto Plata on Thursday.
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Franco, 23, who was present in the courtroom to hear the news of the rescheduled trial, was placed on indefinite administrative leave from Major League Baseball on Aug. 22, 2023. He was added to MLB’s restricted list in July of 2024, sources had told ESPN, after prosecutors in the Dominican Republic accused him of having a sexual relationship with a then-14-year-old girl.
He is also under an MLB investigation under its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy until the case is resolved.
The new court date for Franco and the mother of the girl now extends three years past the time that an investigation was opened in 2022. The case will be heard by a panel of three or five judges.
Wander Franco appears in court for his Dec. 12 trial alongside his lawyer, Teodosio Jáquez. ESPN
Franco is also facing charges of illegal use and possession of a firearm related to his arrest in an armed altercation in the Dominican Republic countryside last month. No court date has yet been set for his arraignment in that case. Prosecutors said a Glock with its magazine and 15 rounds of ammunition but no registration papers was found in Franco’s black Mercedes-Benz at the time of the altercation.
The Rays gave Franco an 11-year, $182 million extension in 2021, just 70 games into his major league career.
He made the All-Star team for the first time in 2023.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
