ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Wander Franco was not in the lineup for Sunday afternoon’s 9-2 loss to Cleveland on Wander Franco Snapback Hat Day at Tropicana Field. The 22-year-old shortstop was the subject of social media allegations that he had inappropriate contact with a minor.
After the game, Rays manager Kevin Cash said Franco’s absence from the lineup was “just a day off.”
“I am aware of the speculation and I am not going to comment any further on that,” he said.
In a statement, the team indicated it was looking into the social media posts along with MLB.
Franco has a seven-game hit streak during which he is batting .517 (15-for-29) with three homers.
Franco was benched for two games in June. At the time, Cash said, “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.”
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Making his MLB debut Sunday and playing short was Osleivis Basabe, who doubled to left in his first at-bat and scored the Rays’ first run in the third inning. The infielder is the team’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
“It’s incredible,” said Basabe, who dedicated his debut to his late grandmother and will give the baseball from his first hit to his grandfather. “It is something that I wanted to accomplish ever since I was a kid.”
Basabe, who was called up from Triple-A Durham where he was hitting .296, had his wife and three-month-old daughter in attendance.
Zach Eflin has been remarkably consistent this season, especially at Tropicana Field where he has 10 of his American League-leading 12 victories. Hence, hopes were understandably high Sunday that the Rays could sweep the Guardians and complete a winning homestand.
Instead, Eflin labored from the start – leadoff batter Steven Kwan battled the righthander for 10 pitches before grounding out – and exited after three innings having thrown 82 pitches and with the Rays trailing 6-1.
“It wasn’t a good representation of the pitcher that I am, but it happens,” said Eflin, who began the day with an MLB-best 0.97 WHIP. “Any mistake I made, they pretty much put it in play and found a hole.”
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The Rays never dug out of a hole as Cleveland scored at least one run in each of the first five innings.
Tampa Bay entered the day having won the first two games of the series for their first back-to-back wins at home since winning five straight in late May and early June.
With the loss, the Rays (71-49) settled for a 3-3 homestand that began by losing two of three to St. Louis. They are now three games behind Baltimore in the AL East. The Orioles (73-45) won at Seattle on Sunday.
The Rays head west for three games in San Francisco beginning Monday night. Following a day off Thursday, they have a three-game weekend series in Anaheim.
The Rays return home August 22 against Colorado.
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