January 08, 2018
Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco is in hot water with his Dominican Republic winter league team after being photographed partying into the wee morning hours.
ESPN Deportes reports that Franco, along with three teammates, were sanctioned and suspended from the Cibao Giants for "for violating the organization's discipline code."
During a press conference, Franco apologized to the team, along with its fans and sponsors for "something that will not happen again."
Maikel Franco: “Pido disculpas al equipo, a la fanaticada y nuestros patrocinadores, es algo que no volverá a ocurrir.” pic.twitter.com/TDDsOJePsN
— Gigantes del Cibao ® (@Gigantes_Cibao) January 7, 2018
As 97.3 ESPN notes, a SnapChat photo circulating social media appears to show Franco drinking along with other teammates, with the caption saying it was around 6 a.m.
His team was scheduled to play a playoff game that afternoon at 4 p.m., which Franco did not participate in, thanks to the suspension. (The below tweet incorrectly states the game was set for 2 p.m.)
ATENCIÓN: Maikel Franco, Moises Sierra, Garabez Rosa y Eduardo D’Oleo son SUSPENDIDOS por @Gigantes_Cibao por falta disciplinaria (estuvieron en discoteca de SFM hasta las 6:00 AM con juego en SD a las 2:00 PM). *Foto de un bloc de SFM. #RoundRobin #LIDOM pic.twitter.com/bt5w19WZe5
— Marino Pepén (@Marino_Pepen) January 7, 2018
Franco, 25, is coming off a disappointing season in red pinstripes. Although he hit 24 home runs in 2017, he finished with an ugly slash line of .230/.281/.409.
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, he’s only 4 for 20 so far in the Dominican League playoffs.
