Rays reinstate SS Wander Franco to 40-man roster

The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated shortstop Wander Franco to the 40-man roster in a procedural move Thursday.

He had been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 22 while Major League Baseball conducts an investigation into allegations against Franco of engaging in inappropriate relationships with minors.

Administrative leave is a non-disciplinary status that is only available during the season, which ended Wednesday night with the Texas Rangers' World Series triumph over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

An MLB official confirmed Thursday with the Tampa Bay Times that the investigation into Franco is ongoing. If his status is not resolved by the start of spring training, he could be placed back on administrative leave.

Franco, 22, last played for the Rays on Aug. 12. That was the day before social media posts surfaced of Franco and a girl who is supposedly a minor.

Franco also is being investigated by authorities in his native Dominican Republic.

The first-time All-Star batted .281 with 17 homers, 58 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 112 games this season prior to being placed on administrative leave.