PT TOMORROW: AL East — Is Tampa's SS Wander-ing Off?
Jun 27 2023
One has to give manager Kevin Cash the benefit of the doubt that the message sent to Wander Franco (SS, TAM) by benching him for not handling his frustration well, leading to confrontations with his teammates, will be received in the manner it was intended.
Assuming that is true, the involuntary vacation will be a quickly forgotten blip, and it will be onward and upward for a player in whom the Rays are heavily invested (11 years, $182 million).
But for what it is worth, something seemed to be up with Franco in the days leading up to the benching. Franco is known for his ability to make contact, but in those previous four games, he had struck out in nearly half of his at-bats (1-for-15, 7 K).
Franco returned to the lineup...
Almost!
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