Former top overall prospect in baseball slated to play with Durham on Wednesday & Thursday
Wander Franco
The Tampa Bay Rays have announced infielder Wander Franco is expected to begin a Major League Rehab Assignment with the Durham Bulls on Wednesday, September 22 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park concluding on Thursday, September 23.
Franco began the 2021 campaign on Durham’s roster as the consensus top prospect in baseball and posted a .315 batting average (51-162) with 30 runs, 11 doubles, six triples, seven homers and 35 RBI in 39 contests with the Bulls before being promoted to Tampa Bay to make his Major League debut on June 22. At the time of his promotion, he led all Triple-A players in triples, in addition to ranking third in hits, tied for fourth in extra-base hits, fifth in total bases (95) and tied for fifth in RBI.
In his 62 games with Tampa Bay this year, the 20-year-old has hit .285 (70-246), adding 49 runs, 15 doubles, four triples, seven homers and 36 RBI. Franco was placed on the Injured List on September 11 with right hamstring tightness. Franco currently has a 39-game on-base streak with the Rays, the second-longest stretch by an MLB player age 20 or younger, surpassing Mickey Mantle (36) for third, while Frank Robinson’s 43-game on-base streak in 1956 is the current record.
The Bulls begin the Triple-A Final Stretch with a five-game homestand versus the Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, on Wednesday September 22. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm.
Tickets for the Final Five games presented by Fifth Third Bank can be purchased at durhambulls.com, or by calling the Mako Medical Ticket Office at 919.956.BULL.
***UPDATE: Wednesday evening’s scheduled contest between the Durham Bulls and Gwinnett Stripers has been postponed due to inclement weather.
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday evening beginning at 5:35pm. Gates will open at 5:00pm. Find out more HERE.
Thanks to DBBC’s Andrew Green for this Capcom story & graphic.
