Tampa Bay Rays player Wander Franco fails to comply with a summons in the Dominican Republic

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Major League Baseball player Wander Franco on Thursday defied a subpoena issued through the Dominican Republic’s Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Children and Adolescents based on an investigation into allegations that he dated a minor.

Hours before he was scheduled to show in court, Franco, who is a Dominican native, dismissed lawyers from the Díaz Trueba firm as his representatives, who notified Judge Olga Diná Llaverías that it would be impossible for them to present the player before the judge and represent him in the investigative process, according to court documents obtained by CNN en Español.

The Dominican prosecutor’s office has not yet filed a criminal complaint against Franco.

Despite the player’s absence on Thursday, the judge indicated that the process must continue, saying there were other options to move forward, but she did not provide details as she briefly addressed the press outside the attorney general’s office.

CNN reached out to Franco’s agent, but as of Thursday afternoon he had garnered a reaction.

On Aug. 13, Franco appeared to dismiss the allegations against him, saying on Instagram Live that he was instead focused on improving himself.

The Rays and Franco mutually agreed on Aug. 14 that the All-Star shortstop would be placed on the limited list.

MLB then placed Franco on administrative leave on Aug. 22, after the claims became public in Dominican media. On November 2, at the start of the league’s offseason, Franco was activated on the roster. End of the off-season.

The Rays declined to comment when contacted via CNN on Thursday.

CNN’s Jill Martin contributed reporting.

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