Wander Franco took a big loss in a Dominican appeals court Thursday, with the panel keeping in place the verdict that found him guilty of sexual abuse of a minor and adding a three-year suspended sentence (similar to probation).

The court ruling is another blow to Franco’s hopes to return to the major leagues to resume what had been a career on a star trajectory. He last played for the Tampa Bay Rays in August 2023.

His lawyer, Teodosio Jaquez Encarnacion, told the Tampa Bay Times they will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, a process that could take years.

A written version of the full decision will be distributed within the next month and will include, for example, the full conditions Franco must meet of the suspended sentence.

Some conditions mentioned during the hearing, per the Dominican newspaper Diario Libre, include check-ins with the court and avoiding any contact and communication with the victim, including refraining from visiting places she frequents. Others could be added, potentially to the extreme of banning Franco from leaving the country.

If Franco were to violate the terms, he would have to serve the full three-year sentence in prison.

Franco also was fined the equivalent of $900 (U.S.) and forfeited any claim to the roughly $35,000 (U.S.) worth of assets the girl’s mother accumulated in extorting him.

“(Thursday’s) ruling is bad news for Wander for three reasons,” Dominican lawyer and journalist Juan Arturo Recio told the Times. “First, this whole legal process has been dragging on for a long time, and it’s still not over. Second, the fact that the Court of Appeals made the decision itself instead of sending the case back to the lower court means Wander’s only option now is to appeal to the Supreme Court. That process could take years before a final decision is reached.

“And finally, he lost the benefit of judicial forgiveness. Now he’ll have to follow strict conditions imposed by the court to avoid going to prison, which he didn’t have to do before (Thursday’s) ruling.”

Franco in May was found guilty for the second time on charges of sexual and psychological abuse of a minor. He had a relationship with a then-14-year-old girl from December 2022 to February 2023 when he was 21.

Though found guilty, he was spared punishment via a judicial pardon as the panel said he also was “a material victim” in the case. That ruling, the judges said, was based on Franco being extorted and blackmailed by the girl’s mother, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison. (Her sentence was upheld by the appeals court in a ruling also issued Thursday.)

That led to both sides appealing.

Franco’s side claims that the evidence presented during the trial was insufficient to lead to a guilty verdict. Prosecutors challenged the decision to impose no punishment and sought a five-year prison term.

In his first trial, which ended in June 2025, Franco was found guilty and given a two-year suspended sentence. Both sides appealed then, too, leading to the second trial. This time, the appellate court opted to make the ruling itself.

With the guilty verdict in place, Franco, now 25, would seem to have little chance of resuming his career in the majors since legal experts have said he is unlikely to be granted the necessary visa to work in the United States since he has been convicted of a crime of moral turpitude.

Franco’s lawyer said they will pursue all legal options.

“We haven’t received the written ruling yet, but we plan to appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice,” Encarnacion told the Times.

Franco made his major league debut in June 2021 and the Rays, after seeing him play 70 games (.288 average, seven homers, 39 RBIs, .810 OPS), signed him that November to an 11-year contract for a guaranteed $182 million with a 2033 option.

Franco has not been paid since charges were filed in July 2024 and is currently on Major League Baseball’s restricted list, but he is still owed about $149 million.

Even if Franco’s legal situation were to be resolved, MLB has had an ongoing investigation and he could be subject to discipline and/or suspension.

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Tampa Bay Times staff writers Juan Carlos Chavez and Nicolas Villamil contributed to this report.

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