(Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

Tampa Bay Rays star shortstop Wander Franco was found criminally responsible of the sexual abuse of a minor but was granted a judicial pardon and won't face prison time.

A judge in the Dominican Republic ruled Monday that Franco was both a defendant and a victim in his case, for which he was originally convicted in June 2025. Franco had received a two-year suspended prison sentence for his illegal relationship with a then-14-year-old girl in his native Dominican Republic.

Franco's attorneys took the case to an appeals court and a new trial was ordered. A three-person panel weighed the case and, on Monday, declared that Franco was guilty but also a victim of extortion by the girl's mother.

'In this case, the court has considered not only the conduct regarding an anomalous or abnormal relationship between the defendant and a minor, but also that the defendant in this specific case is also a victim,' Judge Jose Ramon Nunez said, per Listin Diario. 'A victim of rapacious human behavior, which forgets principles and values and, once the problem arises, tries to profit from it at the expense of the very dignity of the one who should have been protected.'

An investigation had uncovered two payments from Franco to the mother of the victim totaling more than $100,000 to allegedly allow the relationship to continue for nearly two months starting in 2022.

The victim's mother was again convicted of trafficking and received a 10-year prison sentence for money laundering and other charges.

As far as Franco's baseball career is concerned, he still has the conviction on his record and he is on Major League Baseball's restricted list. Franco could face a suspension under the league's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

'We are aware of today's verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time,' MLB said in a statement to multiple outlets.

Franco remains under contract to the Rays, who signed him to an 11-year, $182 million contract extension in 2021. He is not paid while on the restricted list.

'The Tampa Bay Rays are aware of today's ruling in the Dominican Republic involving Wander Franco,' the team said in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times. 'We respect the legal process and the decision issued by the court. This is a serious matter, and our thoughts remain with those affected by the case.

'The Rays will continue to cooperate fully with Major League Baseball as it completes its review under the league's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Out of respect for the legal process and all parties involved, we will have no further comment at this time.'

Now 25, Franco last played in an MLB game on Aug. 12, 2023. He was an All-Star that year, his third major league season, and had a career .282 batting average with 30 home runs and 130 RBIs over 265 games.

--Field Level Media