On August 13, all eyes turned to Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite being one of the hottest young shortstops in the entire game, the reports that surfaced were disturbing to say the least.

It all began when Loredana Chevalier, a woman from the Dominican Republic, presented herself as the 14-year old lover of Franco. Although the reports were not verified at all, the shockwaves were soon felt far and wide.

Franco was immediately placed on the restricted list as MLB opened an investigation into the matter. Overnight, Wander Franco had witnessed his entire world fall apart.

Although conflicting reports about the identify of the woman in question have since come about, things are no less severe for Franco. After placing him on indefinite leave on August 22, fans began to notice that the Tampa Bay Rays were taking down Wander Franco-related signage at Tropicana Field.

"The Rays are taking down anything to do with Wander Franco at Tropicana Field. It’s so over for his career." - sky

Wander Franco has maintained his innocence, and has not yet been charged. However, following reports from a Dominican journalist that Franco will likely never see MLB action again, fans cannot help but remark on the wasted talent.

Only 22 years of age, Franco is the nephew of former Los Angeles Angels player Erick Aybar. In 2021, the then-20 year old inked a massive $182 million contract with the Rays. Now, many are wondering what will come of that massive sum should Franco become ineligible to play it out.

Despite the Rays and MLB taking the case very seriously, some holes persist in Chevalier's story. A look into the young woman's social media accounts revealed images of her drinking and driving, both 18+ activities in the Dominican Republic.

Wander Franco has already lost in the court of public opinion

While the verdict is still technically still out on this case, things do not look good at all for Franco. Already, fans perceive him as guilty. Although big names like Boston Red Sox icon David Ortiz reached out to Franco in the immediate wake of the affair, it appears as though Franco will need more friends if he is to succeed.

Either we will be rejoicing in an innocent Franco bringing back his talent in the near future, or we have noticed a potentially fatal move that has the potential to derail one of baseball's most exciting stars.

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