Franco went 1-for-2 with a triple, two runs scored and two steals in Thursday's 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays.
The 22-year-old ripped a one-out triple in the first inning before scoring the game's first run on a Randy Arozarena base hit. Franco would later draw a pair of walks and tallied two of the Rays' seven stolen bases in the contest. He finished the four-game set against Toronto 6-for-14 with two triples and three stolen bases. Franco is slashing a stellar .288/.355/.490 with seven home runs, 25 RBI and 30 runs scored while going 17-for-22 in stolen base attempts.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Busy offensive day in win
Rotowire
Franco went 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, one run scored and one steal in Wednesday's 7-3 victory over the Blue Jays.
Franco singled in his first at-bat and scored the first run of the game on an RBI knock by Isaac Paredes. The shortstop walked his next time up and proceeded to steal second but was stranded to end the second inning. He added run-scoring singles in the fourth and eighth to extend Tampa Bay's lead, marking his fifth game with at least three hits this season. Franco has been as advertised to start 2023, slashing .286/.347/.480 with seven home runs, 25 RBI, 28 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Not in Thursday's lineup
Rotowire
Franco is absent from the Rays' lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
It's Franco's first day off this month after he played each of the last 15 contests. Taylor Walls will be at shortstop.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Nabs two steals Wednesday
Rotowire
Franco went 0-for-3 with a pair of walks and thefts in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.
Franco didn't get a hit in the contest, but he took advantage of a pair of walks by swiping second base after each one. The shortstop has racked up seven thefts over his past 10 games, and he hasn't been caught attempting to steal over that span. On the season, Franco's 14 stolen bases are tied for third-most in the majors.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Strikes out twice Friday
Rotowire
Franco went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts Friday against the Yankees.
Franco exited Thursday's game against the Yankees with a neck injury but was able to immediately return to the lineup. He had a subpar performance Friday and struck out multiple times in a game for the sixth time this season. That's hardly a reason for concern, however, as he has a .307/.363/.536 slash line across 168 plate appearances on the campaign.
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Rays' Wander Franco: In Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Franco (neck) is in the Rays' lineup for Friday's game versus the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Franco was forced from Thursday's game with neck spasms, but he's feeling well enough a day later to be back in action. The youngster is playing shortstop and batting second against Gerrit Cole.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Hopes to play Friday
Rotowire
Franco (neck) hopes to play Friday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Franco exited Thursday's game in the fifth inning but spoke to reporters after the game and said he was feeling better. Both he and manager Kevin Cash said it's possible that he will be able to return to the lineup Friday.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Dealing with neck spasms
Rotowire
Franco exited Thursday's game against the Yankees with neck spasms and tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Franco was removed in the fifth inning after appearing uncomfortable during an at-bat. He'll be re-evaluated Friday, but there's no further detail for the time being. If Franco is forced to miss additional time, Taylor Walls is likely to step in at shortstop for Tampa Bay.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Exits Thursday's game
Rotowire
Franco was removed from Thursday's game against the Yankees with an apparent neck injury, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Franco exited in the fifth inning after appearing uncomfortable during an at-bat. There are no further details regarding the issue or the potential severity. Isaac Paredes entered the game in Franco's place to play third base, while Taylor Walls shifted to shortstop.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Two steals in loss
Rotowire
Franco went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two steals in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles.
Franco swiped a bag both times he reached base and is now up to 11 on the year, which is tied for sixth best in baseball. The 22-year-old is taking advantage of the new base sizes and pickoff restrictions after combining for only 10 steals across 153 games in his previous two seasons combined. Franco has now hit safely in six straight games and overall is slashing .310/.369/.552 with seven homers, 23 RBI, 23 runs and a 12:24 BB:K over 160 plate appearances.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Homer, steal in loss
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Franco went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss against the Orioles.
Franco opened the scoring Tuesday with a solo homer in the first inning. The long ball was Franco's seventh of the year, matching his career high in just 137 at-bats this season. The 22-year-old shortstop would later swipe his ninth base, setting another new personal best. Franco has been on a tear, going 13-for-36 with three home runs and four stolen bases in his last nine games. He's now slashing .310/.365/.556 with 22 RBI and 23 runs scored through 156 plate appearances this season.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Staying aggressive on basepaths
Rotowire
Franco went 1-for-5 with a stolen base Sunday against the Yankees.
Franco had a relatively quiet game but now has at least one hit in six of his last seven games. In that span, he has hit .321 with six RBI and seven runs scored to go along with three stolen bases. Franco has had an excellent start to the season, maintaining a .299 batting average with an .898 OPS across 147 plate appearances. He's also swiped eight bases, matching his total from the entire 2022 campaign.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Swipes seventh bag
Rotowire
Franco went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base Tuesday against the Pirates.
Franco grounded into a pair of double plays but rebounded with an RBI single in the fifth inning. He proceeded to swipe second base on a double steal, during which Jose Siri also stole home. Franco now has seven stolen bases across 121 plate appearances on the season after swiping only 10 bases across 652 career plate appearances entering the campaign.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Gets breather against White Sox
Rotowire
Franco is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Franco gets a day of rest after appearing in nine straight games while contributing a homer and stolen base in Saturday's victory over the White Sox. Taylor Walls will get the start at shortstop for the series finale against Chicago and will hit sixth.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Ignites comeback
Rotowire
Franco went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and one steal in Saturday's win over the White Sox.
The Rays were being no hit entering the seventh inning, but Franco ended that with a solo shot off Lance Lynn. He singled later in the inning and finished the frame with two hits, three RBI and two runs as the Rays rallied for 10 runs. Franco has a .300/.364/.545 slash line with five long balls, 17 RBI, 17 runs and six steals in 27 games.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Dazzles against Astros
Rotowire
Franco went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's 8-3 win over Houston.
The 22-year-old shortstop didn't just dominate offensively either, as he made an incredible barehanded catch on a dead sprint into foul territory that required him to cover 96 feet in a little over five seconds. Franco is emerging as a superstar in 2023, slashing .318/.388/.580 through 22 games with four homers, five steals, 13 runs and 14 RBI, and the only thing standing between him and a potential 30-30 campaign could be his ability to stay healthy.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Swipes bag Sunday
Rotowire
Franco went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.
Franco got on base twice, both in the second and eighth innings and stole second for his fourth steal on the year. The 22-year-old has been a steady producer in the early going, slashing .289/.366/.542 with four homers, 13 RBI, 11 runs scored and an 8:15 BB:K over 93 plate appearances.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Day off Wednesday
Rotowire
Franco is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Reds, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Franco will take a seat after he went 1-for-7 with a walk and a strikeout over the first two games of the series. Taylor Walls will replace him at shortstop and bat eighth in the rubber match against Cincinnati.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Feeling better after root canal
Rotowire
Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters that Franco underwent a root canal before Tuesday's game against the Reds but is in the lineup and feeling better, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Franco played through his tooth issue Monday and 0-for-4 against the Reds in Great American Ballpark. The shortstop is hitting second against Nick Lodolo and Cincinnati and has compiled a .300/.347/.586 slash with four home runs and three steals over 70 at-bats in 17 games.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Moved to DH with shoulder issue
Rotowire
Franco has been moved from shortstop to designated hitter Sunday against the Blue Jays after telling the Tampa Bay staff he slept on the shoulder wrong, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
With Franco remaining in the starting lineup, it appears this is more precautionary than a significant injury at this stage. The Tampa Bay lineup remains the same in order but with Taylor Walls now playing shortstop, Harold Ramirez lined up in left, Vidal Brujan taking over at third and Luke Raley now in right field.
