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Rays' Franco to miss rest of winter league

No. 1 prospect should be ready for spring after offseason injuries
Wander Franco featured in the Rays' regular-season and postseason player pools but never debuted in the Majors. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
By Sam Dykstra @SamDykstraMiLB
December 3, 2020

Thursday brought good news to the Rays organization and fans and bad news to anyone hoping to see the game's top overall prospect on the field this winter. Wander Franco was diagnosed with shoulder soreness and biceps inflammation, Tampa Bay announced after the shortstop met with doctors in St. Petersburg,

Thursday brought good news to the Rays organization and fans and bad news to anyone hoping to see the game's top overall prospect on the field this winter.

Wander Franco was diagnosed with shoulder soreness and biceps inflammation, Tampa Bay announced after the shortstop met with doctors in St. Petersburg, Florida. The exam revealed no structural damage, alleviating any concerns about long-term issues. Franco is expected to be ready for Spring Training but his time with Escogido in the Dominican Winter League is over.

The switch-hitting shortstop went 7-for-20 (.350) with a home run, a stolen base and three walks over five games in his native country. He had at least one hit in each contest and last appeared on Nov. 20. He was one of the biggest names on an Escogido roster that also featured top prospects Julio Rodriguez and Estevan Florial and Major Leaguers like Gregory Polanco. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is also expected to join Escogido for a limited stint this season after gaining clearance from the Blue Jays.

Due to a lack of Minor League Baseball caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Franco was a member of the Rays' regular-season and postseason player pools during the 2020 campaign but never appeared for the Major League club on its march to the World Series. He last hit .327/.398/.487 with nine homers and 18 steals in 114 games for Class A Bowling Green and Class A Advanced Charlotte as an 18-year-old in 2019.

The Rays infielder is considered the top prospect in baseball because of his impressive hitting potential from both sides of the plate. MLB.com considers his hit tool as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale and also gave his power and arm plus 60 grades. Even with the missed game action in 2020, Franco is expected to be on course for a Major League debut season after starting the 2021 campaign in the upper Minors.

Escogido is scheduled to play 30 games in this year's LIDOM season. The final game of that campaign is Dec. 20 with the postseason to follow after a break for the holidays.

Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.

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