Rays: Kevin Cash makes Wander Franco drama public at the wrong time

All is not well in paradise. Despite being one of the best teams in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays have drama courtesy of Wander Franco and Kevin Cash.

The Rays have a sound advantage in the toughest division in baseball. So, what could possibly go wrong?

Internal strife, that’s what. Tampa Bay star Wander Franco has evidently caused some issues in the clubhouse. To send a message, Kevin Cash benched Franco for Thursday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals. Making said issues public, though, is a bold choice by the Rays manager.

Earlier in the season, Oli Marmol was rightly torched for calling out Tyler O’Neill to the media for a perceived lack of hustle. Cash just did the same with Franco, arguably the team’s most talented player.

Whatever Franco did to deserve said benching, Cash making it public is not helping anyone, and could cause further clubhouse rift than whatever the 22-year-old achieved. Cash is 45 years old, and at this point a veteran manager — he ought to know better.

Why isn’t Wander Franco in the Rays lineup?

Wander Franco was benched by manager Kevin Cash for actions that made him “a bad teammate,” per the Rays manager. It’s unclear exactly how long he’ll be out of the lineup, or if this is merely a one-game suspension to send a message. While Cash did say that Franco is “a good kid,” Franco’s action being made public to the media can cause an increasing level of distrust in the clubhouse. Some things are meant to be left private.

Rays: Why did Kevin Cash call out Wander Franco?

It’s unclear what made Kevin Cash call out Franco to the media. Perhaps he felt that airing said grievances would help clear the room, but if anything it only adds more drama. The obvious follow-up question is to ask what Franco did to deserve his benching. For now, your guess is as good as ours, as that information has yet to be reported.