Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was benched Thursday and will sit out at least one more game as part of a team-imposed punishment for the way he has reacted to adversity at times this season.
Manager Kevin Cash didn’t specify any particular incident when he announced his decision before Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. However, he did say there have been “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, 22, has not run hard on ground balls on occasion this season and has had some baserunning lapses.
“Wander is a really good kid, really good person,” 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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In addition, Franco has occasionally thrown his bat and equipment after making an out, potentially endangering his teammates, as he did in his last game on Wednesday.
“We’re going to continue to support Wander as he works through this,” Cash said. “I’m personally going to (help), this organization will, this staff will. We look forward to having him back.”
Franco, who signed an 11-year, $182 million contract extension with the Rays in November 2021, is hitting .287 with eight home runs, 34 RBI and 24 stolen bases this season.
