Embattled Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco has found himself in hot water once again after disturbing new details about his alleged relationship with a minor has emerged.

Franco has been at the center of a massive scandal after it was revealed during the 2023 season that he allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The MLB then put him on administrative leave back in August, and he hasn't been with the Rays since then as he deals with the issue.

The Rays star's home in the Dominican Republic was reportedly raided in late December, though Franco wasn't home at the time. Then earlier this January, he was arrested by Dominican Republic authorities and accused of sexual exploitation and money laundering.

While Franco has posted bail worth $35,000 and has since been released from prison, his case continues as authorities look into the matter.

New details on Wander Franco case emerge

Amid the investigation on Wander Franco, the allegations against him was brought to light once again following an ESPN report from Jeff Passan and Juan Arturo Recio detailing some shocking accounts about his relationship with the minor he's involved with. The report highlighted excerpts from a 600-page document that included “transcripts of interviews with the girl and her relatives, messages between Franco and the girl, and more.”

According to the report, Franco sent a message (in Spanish) to the girl in question on WhatsApp, calling her “my girl.” The Rays shortstop also admitted that he knew they were not allowed to “talk to minors,” but he “loved” it.

“My girl. If my team realizes this, it could cause problems for me. It is a rule for all teams that we cannot talk to minors, and yet I took the risk and I loved it,” Franco allegedly wrote.

Franco's alleged meeting with the minor

It also revealed that Wander Franco allegedly first learned about the girl–who is now 15 years old–online. They met in December of 2022 in Dominican Republic. They also reportedly had sex twice during their relationship that lasted for four months.

Furthermore, Franco would allegedly send a helicopter to pick up the girl in order to see her. Other times, “Franco's driver would ferry the girl from Puerto Plata to Franco's hometown of Bani,” which is three and half hours away via car. There was also an instance when the girl's “mother paid a taxi driver 16,000 Dominican pesos ($275) so the girl could meet with Franco in Bani.”

Here's more from ESPN:

Franco, the girl told the psychologist, was not shy about being seen in public with her. They went to “various social events,” she said, and she relied on his money “to be formal and groomed and not repeat clothes.” When her mother found out about the relationship, the girl said, “she suddenly started telling him that I needed things” and asked for 100,000 pesos a month.

“Since I was little, my mother has seen me as a way for her to benefit from both the partners she has had and my partners and it is something that I really dislike,” the girl said. “The way she did it with her partners was by telling them that I needed money for my education, the purchase of school supplies or some need related to me.”

For most of the final two months of their relationship last year, Franco was in spring training with the Rays. After the season began, the relationship strained, and she started seeing someone else. After she told Franco, they talked over WhatsApp, according to the file presented to prosecutors.

For what it's worth, Wander Franco's camp questioned the authenticity of the said documents. While they refused to further comment on it, the Rays star's lawyers in the United States and Dominican Republic are said to be collaborating on the next legal actions they can take.

“There are serious questions regarding the authenticity of particular documents and references contained in the prosecutor's confidential file, which was inappropriately disclosed to certain media outlets,” said Jay Reisinger, Franco's attorney based in the US.

“We are in consultation with Mr. Franco's legal counsel in the Dominican Republic, and we intend to take the necessary legal measures in response.”

Franco himself has yet to break his silence amid all the allegations and investigation, and MLB fans shouldn't expect to hear anything from him considering the seriousness and gravity of it. For now, Franco's MLB future remains uncertain.

The Rays have also remained mum on the issue, and unsurprisingly so. It's likely that the team will let the legal proceedings play out before making a decision.