Rays star Franco pranked after parking in wrong space

By: The Associated Press Posted: Last Modified:

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PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Young Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco has a big new contract and a promising future.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/03/2022 (1603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Young Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco has a big new contract and a promising future.

What the 21-year-old shortstop doesn’t have is permission to park in a spot reserved for one of his bosses without becoming the subject of a light-hearted spring training prank.

When Rays baseball operations president Erik Neander arrived for work at Charlotte Sports Park on Friday, he found his parking space occupied by a Range Rover driven by Franco, who signed a $182 million deal after helping Tampa Bay reach the playoffs as a rookie last season.

Players were stretching on the main field at the club’s spring training base, preparing for batting practice when Franco’s vehicle slowly rolled to a resting spot in the outfield — without the surprised Franco behind the wheel.

Manager Kevin Cash, who was in on planning the fun, joked that the Ranger Rover was going to be used for target practice.

A smiling Franco apologized, then exchanged a hug with Neander. His car was moved back to the parking lot — into a space set aside for team owner Stuart Sternberg.

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