Major League Baseball

An appeals court in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday ordered a new trial for Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who was previously found guilty of sexually abusing a minor and received a two-year suspended sentence. The court cited flaws and omissions and reassigned the case to a new judicial panel; prosecutors, who had sought five years, said the original evidence was sufficient and expect the same result at retrial. The ruling also grants a new trial to the victim’s mother, who had been sentenced to 10 years for trafficking.