Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays confirmed on Sunday that Major League Baseball is investigating Wander Franco after social media posts went viral alleging that the shortstop had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, according to Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times.

"During today's game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander Franco," the Rays said in a statement. "We take the situation seriously and are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence."

Franco, 22, didn't play in Sunday's 9-2 loss against the Cleveland Guardians and left the dugout in the fifth inning. Osleivis Basabe made his MLB debut in his place.

Manager Kevin Cash told reporters before the game that Franco was being given a routine day off and that he just wanted to "get him off his feet."

"I am aware of this speculation," Cash added after the game. "I'm not going to comment any further on that. But the day off was because (of) the day off."

Franco, a first-time All-Star this season, is hitting .281 with 17 homers, 58 RBI, 65 runs, 30 stolen bases and a .819 OPS. He signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in Nov. 2021. The deal includes a $25 million team option in 2033.

Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan is "highly unlikely" to pitch again this season because of a forearm injury, manager Kevin Cash told reporters Tuesday.

McClanahan was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday and hasn't pitched since an Aug. 2 loss to the New York Yankees.

Cash said that "everything is on the table" for McClanahan, including Tommy John surgery, flexor surgery and loose body removal, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He added that the lefty is "going to be down for a while."

The 26-year-old met with Los Angeles-area surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday and is scheduled to see orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister for a second opinion, according to ESPN.

McClanahan's injury is a tough blow for the Rays as they battle for the top spot in the American League East with the Baltimore Orioles. Tampa Bay currently sits second in the division with a 68-46 record, three games back of Baltimore.

McClanahan, in his third major league season, was having a solid year for the Rays, posting an 11-2 record with a 3.29 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 115 innings across 21 starts.

The two-time All-Star joins a growing list of Rays pitchers to hit the injured list, including Shane Baz, Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Josh Fleming. Springs and Rasmussen underwent Tommy John surgery and are out for the year.

Tampa Bay's rotation is down to Zach Eflin, Tyler Glasnow, Aaron Civale and Zack Littell. It's possible young starter Taj Bradley could be promoted again to fill McClanahan's spot.

Bradley has started 16 games for the Rays this season, with his last outing coming against the Houston Astros on July 29.

The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing for a rare sell at the deadline, and the Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins are all interested buyers.

Derrick Goold of The St Louis Post-Dispatch reported that those three teams have interest in players like Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery and Jordan Hicks.

"The Miami Marlins have also talked to the Cardinals about at least starters Flaherty and Montgomery," Goold wrote. "The Marlins recently dispatched a scout to evaluate a Flaherty start in person, a source confirmed. The Texas Rangers have shown interest in Hicks, and the Tampa Bay Rays have also looked into the pitchers the Cardinals have available. Those are teams industry sources have confirmed, but it is not a comprehensive list."

The Cardinals are 46-60 and currently sit in last place in the NL Central. They committed to a rebuild that does not include marquee stars like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, instead focusing on players like Flaherty, Hicks and Montgomery who are impending free agents.

Flaherty is the big fish from the Cardinals given his past success, but he has struggled a bit in 2023. He is 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA in 20 starts, but he has been healthy for the first time in several seasons and his 106 strikeouts thus far are more indicative of his earlier, Cy Young candidate-caliber seasons. His seven wins also lead the team.

Montgomery is 6-9 with a team-high 3.42 ERA and 108 strikeouts. He is a seven-season veteran with experience in both leagues and could be an excellent back-end starter for a team making a postseason push.

Hicks has a 3.67 ERA in 40 appearances with eight saves out of the bullpen. He has been hitting triple digits routinely in 2023 and this velocity could be crucial down the stretch for a team that needs to address the bullpen.

All three are arms that could be valuable to a contending team and are on expiring contracts, so they would likely be pure rentals for whatever team acquires them. The Rangers are looking to end a playoff drought that dates back to 2016 and just acquired star pitcher Max Scherzer from the Mets. They appear to be more interested in Hicks, as stated by Goold, and adding a flamethrower like him to the bullpen could be crucial as the Rangers look to build their division lead on the Houston Astros.

The Marlins and Rays both have young cores that they would like to supplement, and experienced postseason starters like Montgomery and Flaherty don't become available too often.

Like every other contender around the league, the Tampa Bay Rays are planning on checking in on a potential deal for Angels' superstar Shohei Ohtani ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin.

Topkin reported that the organization will be making a call to Los Angeles to explore the possibility of bringing the AL MVP front-runner to Florida, not much of a shock there.

And although the the prospect of the game's best player joining the best team in MLB is an exciting proposition, Topkin added that it's not likely to happen.

That is if the Angels and owner Arte Moreno finally decide to let the superstar go instead of potentially losing him for nothing in free agency this offseason, where he's expected to command somewhere in the $600 million range.

Moreno has remained committed to keeping Ohtani with the squad in hopes of retaining him as a free agent, unlikely as it may be with the organization being seemingly incapable of building a contender.

It was reported Saturday that the Angels would be in "listening mode" ahead of the deadline and that they'd want "multiple top-100 type prospects to begin the conversation," according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

With a top 10 farm system, the Rays could offer a package loaded with good prospects in exchange for Ohtani.

ESPN's Buster Olney said that the Rays may be a "wild card" to land Ohtani and that they may be "uniquely aggressive" to pursue him while appearing on the Dan Patrick Show on Friday.

However, with a superstar like that, a bidding war is sure to ensue and that isn't something Tampa Bay will likely win, per Topkin. The organization hasn't been known for going all in on one player, opting to build their farm system and develop elite prospects, which they've done incredibly well over the years.

At 60-35, the Rays have the best record in the American League and the second-best in all of the majors, only trailing the Atlanta Braves at 61-30. If they're able to add Ohtani, they'll be the runaway favorites to win the World Series.

Tampa Bay Rays star outfielder Randy Arozarena is the latest entry into this year's Home Run Derby, MLB announced Saturday.

He joins Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez.

Arozarena, 28, is having a career year at the dish, hitting .288 with 15 homers, 57 RBI, 51 runs, nine stolen bases and an .885 OPS. He hit 20 homers in each of the prior two seasons, to that point his career high.

This year, he stands to shatter that mark, so his invitation to the Derby makes plenty of sense.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is one of the team's top young talents, but his immaturity has cost him a spot in the lineup for the time being.

According to ESPN, Rays manager Kevin Cash benched Franco for at least the next two games because of how he's handled frustrating situations this season. The 22-year-old will miss Thursday's and Friday's games against the Kansas City Royals.

"Wander is a really good kid, really good person," Cash said prior to Thursday night's matchup. "He's a young player that is learning and dealing with the challenges of being a major league player, and some of the frustrations that come with it. Over the course of this season there's been probably multiple times that the way he has handled his frustrations have not been the way that we ask our players to uphold being the best teammate."

Cash didn't specify any incidents led to this decision. However, Franco has been seen giving lackluster effort while running out grounders and throwing his bat after striking out. After making two errors in one play during last Sunday's loss to the San Diego Padres, he refused to speak to reporters after the game.

"We're going to continue to support Wander as he works through this," Cash said. "I'm personally going to [help], this organization will, this staff will. We look forward to having him back."

Franco is slashing .287/.349/.455 with eight home runs and 34 RBI while adding 24 stolen bases, which ranks third in the majors.

The Rays ended a three-game skid with Wednesday's win against the Baltimore Orioles, so they will look to keep the momentum going without Franco on Thursday against the Royals.

Teaching kids a lesson often comes with a heavy price tag.

And Tampa Bay Rays' reliever Pete Fairbanks—fresh off the IL after recovering from a hip injury—learned that the hard way.

In his first day back with the team Thursday, Fairbanks showed up with a new ailment, a black eye. But it didn't come from his time on the diamond, instead this new injury came during one of his intense sessions of pool basketball with his three-year old son.

With his son standing underneath the basket "unawares," Fairbanks decided to show his child what happens to people who don't respect the rules of the paint and dunked on him. In the process, he pulled down too hard on the rim and it hit his face.

While he'll take the ridicule from everyone in the clubhouse, Fairbanks' return to action will also have the rest of his teammates buzzing.

Coming back from the 15-day IL after undergoing a bout of hip inflammation, Fairbanks is ready to continue contributing to the best team in all of MLB. In an appearance Monday with the Rays' affiliate in the Florida Coast League, he struck out two hitters in a perfect inning.

Fairbanks is one of Tampa Bay's best relievers with a 1.26 ERA and 48:8 strikeout-to-walk- ratio in 35.2 innings since 2022.

At 49-22, the Rays sit atop of the AL East by 4.5 games and have the best record in baseball.

Potential ownership groups are reportedly swarming around the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported the Rays have drawn interest from local businessman Dan Doyle Jr., who would keep the franchise in Tampa, and other groups that would seek to relocate the franchise.

It's unclear if current owner Stuart Sternberg wants to sell. The Athletic report indicated the "primary focus" of Sternberg is to land a $1.2 billion stadium in St. Petersburg or Tampa. Sternberg has been seeking out investors for that project.

The Rays' lease at Tropicana Field, one of baseball's worst stadiums, ends in 2027. Both Major League Baseball and the current ownership group likely want a firm plan in place well before then, as the Rays continue to lag near the bottom of the sport in attendance despite being consistently competitive.

Commissioner Rob Manfred has said MLB will not explore expansion until the Rays and Oakland Athletics have their stadium situations sorted. The Athletics are seemingly on the precipice of a move to Las Vegas, but the two parties are still attempting to work out the finer details.

Las Vegas has been suggested as one of the prime cities for MLB expansion, so the A's making a move to Nevada would rule that out.

Should the Rays find a buyer to move the franchise, Montreal could be the most logical destination. MLB thwarted an innovative plan last year that would have seen the Rays split their home schedule between Tampa and Montreal. Moving the franchise to Canada full time could wind up being the best solution for all parties involved.

The Rays declined to comment on the status of any potential sale talks. The Athletic's attempts to get in contact with Doyle were unsuccessful.