PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was declared criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor, but he will not serve a sentence for it, a Dominican judge ruled Monday.
Judge José Antonio Núñez, in his decision, considered that Franco had been the victim of extortion and blackmail by the minor's mother, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually trafficking her daughter.
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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, center, leaves court after his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco leaves court after his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco gestures in court at the end of his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco gestures in court during his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
“It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and at the same time exempt him from punishment. The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one,” explained Núñez.
The judge justified the judicial pardon as a “logical and legal reasoning.”
“Thank God for everything,” Franco expressed as he effusively embraced his mother, Nancy Aybar, and other family members who accompanied him in court.
Franco was arrested in January 2024 after being accused of having a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14 at the time and transferring thousands of dollars to her mother to consent to the illegal relationship.
After the ruling, Franco left the courthouse alongside his lawyer, Teodosio Jáquez, and briefly answered reporters’ questions, saying, “I feel calm,” and asking his fans to “continue supporting me and trusting in me.”
Franco also said he personally had not contacted the Rays but that his lawyers surely had.
“We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time,” Major League Baseball said in a statement.
Franco attorney Jáquez said: “We don’t have the physical sentence in our hands, but he was exempted from punishment because the president of the court established that he was also a victim and because he is exempted from punishment through judicial pardon."
The full sentencing will be June 16.
“When we have the full sentence in hand, we will give you more details," Jáquez said. "He was exempted from punishment and we think that’s fine, but we need to have the sentence in hand.
In November 2021, Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays, but his career was upended when authorities in the Dominican Republic announced in August 2023 that they were investigating him for an alleged relationship with a minor. Franco was 22 at the time.
Six months after his arrest, Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list, which cut off the pay he had been receiving while on administrative leave.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, center, leaves court after his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco leaves court after his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco gestures in court at the end of his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco gestures in court during his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
PARIS (AP) — Two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz is out injured. Promising 21-year-old French player Arthur Fils also pulled out with a physical issue. Jack Draper has been bothered for months by a right knee problem.
The list of candidates capable of challenging top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who enters the French Open on a three-month-long 29-match winning streak, has been dwindling.
Enter Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old Spaniard who has been making waves on the ATP Tour.
Jodar continued to impress in his Roland Garros debut, dropping just five games in a 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 rout of American opponent Aleksandar Kovacevic on Monday despite boiling heat at the clay-court Grand Slam. The last man to concede fewer games in a French Open debut was Novak Djokovic, who allowed three to Robby Ginepri in 2005.
“I did the things very well from the start,” Jodar said. “It’s just my first year (on tour) and I’m experiencing a lot of things in these past few months.”
Mostly, Jodar has been experiencing victories: He’s won 16 of his last 19 matches, raised a trophy on clay in Morocco, reached the semifinals in Barcelona and had a run to the quarterfinals in Madrid ended by Sinner.
A year ago, Jodar was ranked No. 707 and playing challengers — tennis’ minor leagues — in the U.S. after he competed at the University of Virginia. Now he’s No. 29 and is seeded 27th in Paris.
“It was obviously another chapter of my life but I think that chapter also helped me to develop a lot and to be a better player now,” Jodar said.
Going to college also helped.
“Living there alone, it was great to develop and to do things by myself,” Jodar said. “It was a new chapter, new culture for me, actually a new life.”
Jodar appears destined to become a top-10 player and a serious contender for the biggest trophies.
And Jodar is in the bottom half of the draw in Paris — meaning he could meet Sinner only in the final.
Four-time champion Iga Swiatek eliminated 136th-ranked debutant Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2 in her opener.
The only real issue for the third-ranked Swiatek came when she needed a trainer to re-tape the middle finger on her tennis-playing right hand for an apparent blister after the first set.
Swiatek has not won a title on clay this season and recently made a coaching change. She hired Francisco Roig, who previously worked with 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.
“Nothing comes easy,” Swiatek said. “With more titles it’s even a bit harder because everyone expects you to be ready always and play perfectly. So you need to stay humble and not take anything for granted and work your way from the beginning of the tournament.”
She improved to 28-1 in first-round matches at Grand Slams.
Also advancing were Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who beat Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 6-2; and recent Italian Open winner Elina Svitolina, who rallied past Anna Bondar 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3).
In men’s action, 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka was beaten by Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to end his 21st and last French Open.
Gael Monfils also bowed out for the last time after losing to fellow Frenchman Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0 just before midnight.
Eighth-seeded Alex De Minaur defeated Toby Samuel 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and No. 15 Casper Ruud — a two-time French Open runner-up — won against Roman Safiullin 6-2, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 0-6, 6-2.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Gael Monfils of France reacts as he plays against Hugo Gaston of France during their first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland reacts after the first round men's singles tennis match against Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Mirra Andreeva of Russia returns to Fiona Ferro of France during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Jasmine Paolini of Italy celebrates during the first round women's singles tennis match against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Emerson Jones of Australia falls down as she plays against Iga Swiatek of Poland during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Poland's Iga Swiatek gestures for a ballboy as he shields her from the sun during a break at the first round women's singles tennis match against Emerson Jones of Australia at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning against Emerson Jones of Australia during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Iga Swiatek of Poland returns to Emerson Jones of Australia during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
