Rays’ Franco Wanders into Left Field to Make Stunning Barehanded Catch

Tampa Bay has looked unstoppable through the first month of the season, so it’s no wonder its star player can pull off a move like this.

The Rays have had a charmed first month of the 2023 season, and plays like the one Wander Franco made against the Astros on Monday are what’s fueled such a dominant start.

With a 6–3 lead in the top of the fifth inning, Houston catcher Martín Maldonado lifted a ball down the left field line in foul territory. Franco covered a ton of ground and got himself in position to make the play, but overran it by a step or two. When his backhanded reach fell short, he resorted to his bare right hand to make the highlight-reel haul.

• Get your seats to Tampa Bay Rays games with SI Tickets

OH MY, WANDER FRANCO ‼️

(via @RaysBaseball)pic.twitter.com/r2xxIY7mt5

— SI MLB (@si_mlb) April 25, 2023

It has been that sort of April for Tampa Bay, who won their first 13 games of the season and entered play on Monday with a league-best 19–3 record. The Rays are particularly stingy at home, with a 13–0 mark at Tropicana Field.

Franco is one of many Rays enjoying blistering starts to the 2023 campaign. The former top prospect burst onto the scene with a strong rookie year in ’21, then took a relative step backward last year while dealing with injuries. It’s safe to say that the 22-year-old is back on track to stardom, with a .908 OPS entering Monday’s game and the ability to make these types of defensive web gems.

Can you call it a web gem if you don’t actually use a glove? Perhaps not, but it was a phenomenal play nonetheless.