Rays Reveal Timetable for Wander Franco Return from Injury

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The Tampa Bay Rays are currently going through a rough patch on the 2022 MLB season, amassing a 4-9 record in their last 13 games. Part of the team's struggles has stemmed from the fact that starting shortstop Wander Franco has been sidelined since the end of May with a quad strain.

Franco's minor-league rehab stint has been going well, leaving fans to wonder just when he'll step back into the Rays' lineup. Fortunately, the organization finally revealed his return timetable to start the weekend, looking like the 21-year-old will be back in the Majors by early next week at the latest.

Wander Franco Injury Update

Franco is expected to return to St. Petersburg area on Saturday and if he seems healthy enough, the Rays could activate him for Sunday's home tilt against the Pittsburgh Pirates. If not, he's expected to be back for Tuesday's series-opening game versus the Milwaukee Brewers.

The former No. 1 prospect has played five rehab games across Triple-A and the Florida Complex League. He looked solid in his limited action, batting .375 in 16-at bats while recording two doubles, a triple and a pair of RBIs.

The hope is that Franco's quad injury is a thing of the past and he can pick up from where he left off. The 2021 AL Rookie of the Year finalist had four HRs, 19 RBIs, four stolen bases and a .270/.305/.421 slash line in 45 games, which is the player that the Rays need if they hope to make the playoffs.

Rays World Series Odds

A healthy and contributing Franco could certainly gives Tampa Bay's championship odds a boost. The Rays are currently available at +2800 (T-No. 10) to win the 2022 World Series on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.