When will Wander Franco return to Rays lineup this season?

The Tampa Bay Rays went into the All-Star break with a 51-41 record. They are in second place in a tough AL East, sitting 13 games back of the New York Yankees. Tampa Bay currently has a 1.5-game lead in the A.L. Wild Card standings. They could use a jumpstart from star shortstop Wander Franco, but he is sidelined with a wrist injury.

Wander Franco injury update

When the Rays faced the Cincinnati Reds in a game earlier in July, Wander Franco fouled off a 100 mph+ fastball from pitcher Hunter Greene. Franco winced a bit and shook his hand but finished his at-bat in the top of the first inning. He was immediately removed from the game, and it was determined that Franco suffered an injury to the hamate bone in his right wrist. This bone is located in the wrist joint, and his injury required surgery.

The initial timetable for his return was five to eight weeks. The surgery was said to be successful, but Franco hasn’t begun any sort of baseball activity. Given when the injury occurred and the timetable for return, the earliest that he is expected back is mid-to-late August.