Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was charged with illegal use and possession of a gun following his arrest in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, ESPN's Juan Recio reported.

If convicted, Franco could face a maximum prison sentence of between three to five years, per Recio.

Bail and a court date have not been set. Franco is likely to be granted a provisional release, according to Recio.

Franco was arrested after what police described as an "armed altercation" on Sunday in a parking lot in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, Martín Adames reported for the Associated Press.

The 23-year-old was already scheduled to face trial in December, also in the Dominican Republic, for a sexual abuse case involving a minor. He was placed on the MLB's restricted list in July, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Franco was arrested following allegations of a relationship with a 14-year-old girl in January and conditionally released four days later. He has been prevented from leaving the Dominican Republic as part of the bail conditions, per Passan.

Franco is set to stand trial on Dec. 12 for this case, in which he faces sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking charges. If convicted, he would face a potential maximum prison sentence of 20 years, per Recio.

According to Adames, a spokesperson for the Dominican police said Franco was detained alongside another man and a woman in Sunday's arrest, during which two guns were seized.

The police stated that "one of the guns presumably belonged to Franco, who was allegedly fighting with the other man over the woman's attention," according to Adames.

Recio wrote that the altercation involved "Franco, another man and the father of that man over Franco's relationship with a woman" who lived in the apartment complex connected to the parking lot where the incident took place.

Prosecutors said the gun found in Franco's car was a Glock with magazine, ammunition and no registration papers, per Recio. Dominican authorities later said that the gun had been registered to Franco's uncle, per Adames.

"Prosecutors said no one was hurt in the dispute and both parties agreed not to press charges," Adames wrote.

Franco, who signed an 11-year, $182 million deal with the Rays in 2021, last played in MLB in 2023. He was placed on administrative leave before the 2024 season and received around $550,000 of his 2024 salary before he was moved to the restricted list on July 10, Passan reported.

Details about the repairs needed for Tropicana Field in the wake of Hurricane Milton have been released.

Per Marc Topkin and Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times, an assessment report sent to St. Petersburg City Council members on Tuesday revealed the repairs can be completed in time for the start of the 2026 MLB season at an estimated cost of $55.7 million.

Hurricane Milton made landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast on Oct. 9 as a Category 3 storm with winds in the range of 120 mph.

There were initially plans to use Tropicana Field as a base camp to support debris cleanup operations and temporarily house first responders, but Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters that plan changed due to concerns the stadium's roof wouldn't be able to withstand the hurricane winds:

"Tropicana Field is a routine staging area for these things. The roof on that ... I think it's rated for 110 mph and so the forecast changes, but as it became clear that there was going to be something of that magnitude that was going to be within the distance, they redeployed them out of Tropicana. There were no state assets that were inside Tropicana Field."

Videos and pictures after the hurricane showed the fabric covering from the roof ripped off, but the metal frame appeared to be mostly intact.

Topkin and Wright noted the report doesn't include all of the items to be repaired, with the roof being the most costly item to fix with a price tag of $23.6 million.

One key point Topkin and Wright did point out is it's unclear if the city of St. Petersburg will want to spend that much money to repair Tropicana Field for what will end up being two seasons of Rays baseball. They signed a deal to build a new ballpark in the city that is expected to be completed for the start of the 2028 season.

There is also the question of where the Rays will play in 2025. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters before Game 2 of the World Series that the league would like to have a plan in place by Christmas, with either a spring training complex or minor league park the most likely solution.

The Rays hold their spring training at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida. The facility has a seating capacity of approximately 7,500.

There are no shortage of baseball stadiums in the state of Florida for the Rays to choose from as they look for a short-term home. Fifteen MLB teams hold spring training in the state.

Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, home of the New York Yankees, has the largest capacity of any stadium with the ability to seat over 11,000 fans.

The Rays will play their first home game of the 2025 regular season against the Colorado Rockies on March 27.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was arrested in the Dominican Republic for his involvement in an armed altercation, authorities confirmed to Hogla Enecia Pérez and Alex Andrejev of The Athletic.

A police spokesperson told Martin Adames of the Associated Press that Franco was arrested on Sunday, two firearms were seized, and another man and woman were also detained.

The spokesperson said the incident occurred in a parking lot in San Juan de la Maguana, a city that is located 116 miles west of Santo Domingo. Police didn't say whether there were injuries, but one of the firearms is presumed to belong to Franco.

The 23-year-old is scheduled to stand trial on Dec. 12 in the northern province of Puerto Plata in a separate case where he is facing charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor and human trafficking. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Per ESPN's Juan Recio, Franco is not permitted to leave the Dominican Republic under his bail agreement while he awaits trial, but police confirmed that he is free to travel within the country.

Franco has not played in MLB since Aug. 12, 2023, amid allegations that he was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. After nearly a year of being on administrative leave, the Rays placed him on the restricted list on July 10, cutting off the pay he had been receiving along with his accrued service time. He could still be suspended by MLB under the league's domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.

Franco has refused to speak to the media, saying of the case, "Everything is in God's hands."

The Rays signed Franco to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021, just 70 games into his major league career.

The city of St. Petersburg City Council voted on Thursday to approve a pair of clean-up and restoration projects for the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field in the wake of the damage suffered during Hurricane Milton, according to the Associated Press.

Those contracts will cost the city around $6.5 million.

"We need to act quickly to protect the building from further damage," Rob Gerdes, the city's administrator, said on Thursday.

One of the contracts was awarded to BMS CAT to the tune of $3.9 million, and the other to Hennessy Construction Services Corp. for $2.5 million.

The contracts were somewhat controversial, as the city already has plans in place for a $1.3 billion ballpark to be constructed by 2028, with some council members unconvinced that this current clean-up plan made sense on a building that will only be utilized for another three years.

But Major League Baseball is hoping to have a 2025 plan in place for the Rays by Christmas, with a number of minor league facilities or the ballpark at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando also a possibility.

"I don't have a sense yet but diligence—formal and informal—is still being done on the ballpark itself," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark told reporters earlier in the week. "The determination is going to have to made as to whether or not adjustments to that ballpark can be made either into 2025, 2026 or later. In the near term, we have to ensure that if the facility the major league players aren't going to be playing in for 2025 isn't a major-league ballpark, it is of major-league quality at the time the players step onto the field. All of that is in process."

The St. Petersburg City Council ultimately decided that approving the costs for Tropicana Field now made the most sense, as opposed to potential expenditures in the future.

"This is about stopping the bleeding," council member Gina Driscoll noted. "It sounds like pay now or pay later, and pay more later."

A plan regarding the Tampa Bay Rays home venue for 2025 should come before the calendar flips to the new year.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters, including Evan Drellich of The Athletic, that he expects a "pretty good plan in place" by Christmas for what to do with the team after its home, Tropicana Field, suffered significant damage in Hurricane Milton.

"They're still in the damage assessment mode," Manfred said, per Drelich "That needs to get done and obviously, it's not just the roof, there was damage internally as well. Won't know exactly what's going to happen until they complete that process. … It's just a guess as to how long it's going to be."

Manfred continued by saying that the league can get by using a minor-league park if needed and that the top priority would be keeping the team in the Tampa market.

"We can make it work in a minor-league park," Manfred said, per Drellich. "I think there's probably some flexibility in terms of what we do with the big-league schedule."

The full extent of the damage Tropicana Field took during the hurricane is unknown, but at the very least the roof was blown off and the playing field took significant water damage. The Rays are already in the midst of developing a new ballpark, so simply heading to a minor league park instead of repairing the current park could be a solid option.

The New York Yankees have an affiliate in Tampa and numerous other team's have spring training facilities in the area.

After the devastating damage to Tropicana Field following Hurricane Milton, there is still uncertainty over where the Tampa Bay Rays will play home games during the 2025 season.

However, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said on an episode of The Varsity podcast that he's hoping the team can remain in the Tampa area.

"We're hopeful that we can figure out something in [the Tampa Bay area] for them and that the repairs can be done in a way that allows them to resume playing," Manfred said, per the Associated Press. "The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored, if we can manage it."

Tropicana Field was constructed in 1990 and the Rays have played there since their inaugural season in 1998. The hurricane's winds destroyed the translucent fiberglass dome amid other damage to the facility. The AP noted, "a number of spring training sites around the Tampa Bay area have been suggested as temporary homes."

The Rays were expected to remain at Tropicana Field during the construction of a $1.3 billion ballpark in an adjacent location that is planned to open at the beginning of the 2028 season. The city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County approved the stadium's construction as part of a larger downtown revitalization project.

St. Petersburg spokeswoman Alizza Punzalan-Randle said an outside firm has been hired to do a complete analysis of the damage at Tropicana Field, and the city filed a claim with its insurance carrier, both of which are necessary steps to determine when the ballpark will be safe to reopen.

"We will have more information on next steps once the analyses have been completed and the remaining roof has been removed," Punzalan-Randle said.

The AP noted that there's been talk of the Rays sharing the Miami Marlins' stadium, which would likely present scheduling challenges. Spring training sites used by the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers have also been suggested as possibilities.

Manfred said the league is committed to finding a viable solution for the Rays.

"The one thing I can tell you for sure, they're playing next year. We're going to find them someplace to do it," Manfred said on the podcast.

Following the devastating impact of Hurricane Milton that saw the roof of Tropicana Field get destroyed, the Tampa Bay Rays reportedly are likely to be displaced for the start of the 2025 season.

According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, "the only thing that seems certain" is that the Rays "won't be able to open the 2025 Major League Baseball season at home as planned on March 27."

Topkin added that Tampa Bay is facing a slew of question marks that it hopes to address in the coming weeks, including "where the Rays play, how long they are displaced and what repairs beyond a new custom roof are needed to return to Tropicana Field." The franchise is planning to open a new stadium at a site adjacent to Tropicana Field in 2028, but there was no way it could have prepared for the extensive damage caused by the recent extreme weather events.

Due to safety concerns, access to Tropicana Field has been "extremely limited," per Topkin. In addition to the destruction of the roof, it's likely that other areas in the stadium also sustained damage that could put the structural integrity into question.

The Rays' team leadership sent a brief memo to staff last week acknowledging that there are "more questions than answers." Topkin reported that another update for employees is planned for this week.

The team is facing the possibility of needing a temporary home for anywhere from a few months to a full season to even the full three years until the new stadium is opened. Topkin noted that there "will be a lengthy list of options, maybe 50 locations long." Multiple minor-league/spring stadiums in Florida could be viable options, and the Rays' Triple-A location in Durham, North Carolina, will also be under consideration.

As for the damages at Tropicana Field, the city of St. Petersburg is responsible for paying for repairs and has insurance to help cover the costs. However, the process of helping the stadium recover will not be simple.

"It's a little bit complicated how the fund works for Tropicana Field, but there is insurance on the property," city administrator Rob Gerdes said. "So that's the first thing we'll be looking at is the property insurance to help make repairs."

As Hurricane Milton tears through parts of Florida this week, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays has been hit.

Videos captured on Wednesday and Thursday showed the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg being torn apart by powerful winds, along with the aftermath.

Milton made landfall on Wednesday evening in Tampa Bay and has already seen wind speeds up to 110 mph. The Category 2 hurricane has brought 10-14 inches of rain and is only supposed to continue throughout the night.

In the days leading up to the powerful hurricane, Tropicana Field was set up as a shelter for thousands of first responders and the National Guard. Unfortunately, the damage to the roof will likely make the shelter unusable.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that city officials said there have been no injuries as a result of Wednesday night's damage.

The stadium, which opened in 1990, was designed with a slanted roof in hopes of better protecting it from hurricane damage. Though it has survived many powerful hurricanes over the years, the intense winds from Milton proved to be too much for the Trop.

While the safety of those being lodged at Tropicana Field will be the first priority, rebuilding the roof will likely take months of effort. Fortunately, that won't impact the Rays soon as their season is already over, but the stadium hosts a number of other events that could be affected.

Dominican Republican Judge Pascual Valenzuela ruled Thursday that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will stand trial on charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking, according to ESPN's Juan Arturo Recio.

The trial does not yet have a date.

Per that report, Judge Valenzuela felt that both the nature of the accusation and the evidence provided by the prosecution was enough to justify a trial. Franco is facing up to 20 years in prison.

The Rays' shortstop is also being investigated by Major League Baseball for potential violations of its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. That inquiry likely won't be concluded until Franco's legal proceedings end.

MLB and the the MLBPA had initially come to an agreement of paid administrative leave while the legal process played out, with the addendum that his paid leave would end if he was formally charged. Once that took place in early July, the Rays requested that he be put on the restricted list since he was unable to report to the team, as conditions of his bail agreement prevent him from leaving the Dominican Republic.

On the restricted list, Franco is not paid and does not receive MLB service time.

"We are aware of the charges against Mr. Franco," MLB said in a statement in early July. "Our investigation remains open, and we will continue to closely monitor the case as it moves forward."

Franco, 23, has been accused of starting a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl when he was 21, paying her mother $1,700 a month and giving her a car in exchange for allegedly facilitating the arrangement.

Major League Baseball initially suspended Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Edwin Uceta three games Wednesday for his role in the benches-clearing scuffle during Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

However, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times noted the suspension was reduced to two games and will begin Wednesday.

The league also suspended Rays manager Kevin Cash for one game.

Uceta struggled in the eighth inning of Tuesday's contest and allowed five runs to score before he hit Nick Castellanos with a pitch. The benches and bullpens emptied, and the right-hander was ejected from the contest.

The game was tied at four when Uceta entered, but he allowed a two-run double to Cal Stevenson, an RBI single to Buddy Kennedy and a two-run homer to Trea Turner. Bryce Harper then doubled before Castellanos came to the plate as the inning continued to slip away from the pitcher.

Uceta was ultimately charged with three earned runs in 0.1 innings of work.

"I mean, you're throwing a baseball over 90 mph," Castellanos told reporters. "You're frustrated and you're going to throw at somebody? That's like my two-year-old throwing a fit because I take away his dessert before he's finished."

Castellanos pointed at Uceta and threw up his arms in frustration, while Harper yelled at the pitcher while walking toward the mound from second base.

For his part, Uceta said he didn't throw at Castellanos on purpose.

Tampa Bay is running out of time to make any type of realistic run in the American League playoff chase. It is six games back of the final wild-card spot with just 17 games remaining.

Despite his poor performance in Tuesday's loss, Uceta has been largely excellent for Tampa Bay out of the bullpen this season with a 1.49 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. It will be even more difficult for the team to make up ground in the playoff race when he is out for his suspension.