Global Courant
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters Thursday that shortstop Wander Franco won’t be in the lineup until Saturday because of how he’s handled frustrations this season.
Franco was not in the lineup in Thursday’s Tampa Bay game against the Kansas City Royals and will also sit out Friday’s game.
Wander Franco, No. 5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, reacts after being called home during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 30, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
“Wander is a very good kid, a very good person. He is a young player who is learning and coping with the challenges of being a major league player and some of the frustrations that come with it,” Cash told reporters.
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“There have probably been several times over the course of this season where the way he handled his frustrations wasn’t the way we asked our players to be the best teammate.”
While Cash declined to go into details about what led to Franco’s benching, multiple instances this season involving Franco are believed to have led to this.
Wander Franco, #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, watches ahead of the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Thursday, June 8, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
According to The Associated Press, Franco has suffered baserunning errors and has sometimes failed to run out of ground balls.
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According to the Tampa Bay Times, the young shortstop also had an altercation in the dugout with teammate Randy Arozarena in May.
“We will continue to support Wander as he works through this,” Cash added. “I’m going personally. This organization will. These staff will. We know he’s a really good kid and look forward to having him back.”
Wander Franco, #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, reacts after hitting a foul ball during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres on June 18, 2023 at Petco Park in San Diego, California. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
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Franco, 22, hits .287 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs in 318 at bats for the first-place Rays.
The young star signed an 11-year contract in November 2021 with a $182 million guarantee.
Joe Morgan is a sportscaster for Fox News.
