Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco has been dropped from the lineup for not "being the best teammate" after failing to control his frustrations "multiple times" this season.
The 22-year-old has been taken out of the lineup by Rays manager Kevin Cash and sat out Thursday and Friday's games against the Kansas City Royals with the teams claiming one win apiece, and it is unclear if the shortstop will return to the team for Saturday's clash at Tropicana Field.
Franco has been guilty of not running after hitting ground balls and he also has had baserunning lapses this season, according to the Associated Press. The Dominican has also thrown his bat after striking out and he refused to speak to members of the press on June 18 after an error-strewn performance against the San Diego Padres.
The Tampa Bay Times reports Franco has had "several verbal altercations with teammates", including an argument in the dugout with Randy Arozarena on May 23.
"Wander is a really good kid, really good person," Cash said, explaining his decision to drop Franco. "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," Cash told reporters.
"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."
Franco is hitting .287 this season, with eight home runs and 34 RBIs to his name, with the Rays leading all of Major League Baseball with a record of 53-26, winning five more games than any other team.
Cash has made clear he will not allow the team's standards to slip, but he said he has Franco's back and the 22-year-old will be reintegrated to the lineup soon.
"We're going to continue to support Wander as he works through this," Cash added. "I'm personally going to. This organization will. This staff will.
"We know that he's a really good kid and look forward to having him back."
Franco, who represented the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classi earlier this year, has been part of the Rays' organisation for six years, rising through the Minor League structure before being promoted to the majors in 2021.
In 2022, Franco signed a 11-year $182million contract with the Rays, averaging out to $16.5m per season, although the contract is heavily backloaded from 2026 onwards, with the 22-year-old currently earning a base salary of $2m this season.
The Rays have two more games against the Royals on Saturday and Sunday before a three-game road trip to the Arizona Diamondbacks, which gets underway on Tuesday.
