Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco‘s trial in the Dominican Republic is scheduled to begin Dec. 12, the attorney’s office from Puerto Plata announced Thursday.
Franco faces charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking, which could result in a sentence of up to 20 years.
The court summoned Franco and the mother of the alleged abused child for the trial after an investigation that opened in 2022. The case will be heard by a panel of three or five judges.
In September, Judge Pascual Valenzuela determined that the accusation and the evidence presented by the prosecution had sufficient merits to warrant a trial.
Franco, 23, was placed on Major League Baseball’s restricted list in July, sources had told ESPN, after prosecutors in the Dominican Republic accused him of an alleged sexual relationship with a then-14-year-old girl.
He is also under an MLB investigation under its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy until the case is resolved.
The Rays gave Franco an 11-year, $182 million extension in 2021, just 70 games into his major league career. He made the All-Star team for the first time in 2023.
ESPN’s Juan Recio contributed to this report.