Rays’ Wander Franco Homers in First At-Bat Back From Benching

Franco wasted no time getting back to work after his brief benching by the Rays.

Rays shortstop Wander Franco missed the past two games after being benched by the organization for disciplinary reasons. Sidelined on Thursday and Friday for the first two games of Tampa Bay’s four-game series against the Royals, Franco returned to action on Saturday.

In his first at-bat of the game, Franco launched a solo shot off Jordan Lyles in the bottom of the first inning, smacking a hanging breaking ball out to deep center field, clearing the wall to open the scoring for Tampa. 

It was a loud return to the lineup for Franco, who was penciled in as the No. 2 hitter for the Rays, and he picked up another hit in his second at-bat in the second inning. 

WANDER FRANCO HOMERS IN HIS FIRST AT BAT BACK IN THE LINEUP pic.twitter.com/dPbKX7EhOf

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 24, 2023

“Wander is a really good kid, really good person. 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,” said manager Kevin Cash regarding the team’s decision to temporarily bench the 22-year-old.

“Over the course of this season, there's been probably 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.”

This season, entering Saturday’s game, Franco has amassed a 3.8 WAR across 72 games. His first-inning home run was his ninth of the season as he continues to swing a hot bat. 

It seems the message being sent to him from his organization has been received, and Franco wasted no time getting back to work following his short absence from the lineup.