Wander Franco making push to return to field after sexual abuse trial but he might not be eligible

Wander Franco wants to return to the baseball diamond.Franco, who was found guilty in May of sexually abusing a minor in a second trial, was making a push to play for the Dominican Republic during the Central American and Caribbean Games that start later this month, ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported Wednesday.Nevertheless, Franco’s participation appears unlikely, the Tampa Bay Times reported.Franco, who last played in an MLB game on Aug.12, 2023, was left off of the Dominican Republic’s “long list” of candidates for its roster, meaning that he is not eligible to play on the team, per the outlet.The Dominican Baseball Federation (FEDOM) said it is working on getting Franco cleared to play.“We, as the Dominican Baseball Federation, have been handling the procedures with the Dominican Olympic Committee in order to allow us to register Wander through the platform so that he can play with us,” FEDOM told the Tampa Bay Times in a statement.

“We are hopeful and very confident that we will receive a positive response.”Despite this, Garibaldy Bautista, president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, insists that Franco remains ineligible for the tournaments.“Simply put, he is not on the long list and cannot be registered on the Dominican team to participate in the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games,” Bautista said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.Although a court found Franco, 25, guilty of the sexual and psychological exploitation of a minor, he did not face any jail time, with the victim’s mother instead getting a 10-year prison sentence for allegedly profiting from payments made by the ex-Rays infielder to consent to his relationship with the teen.Franco, who is on MLB’s restricted list, has been unable to play in the major or minor leagues since August 2023, along with the Dominican Winter League, which has arrangements with MLB.“To my fans, keep supporting me, trust in God and with the faith in God, I’ll soon be back,” Franco said whi...