Rays’ Wander Franco makes incredible bare-handed catch vs Astros

Tampa Bay Rays star shortstop Wander Franco made an incredible defensive play Monday night in a game against the Houston Astros.

In the fifth inning with Martin Maldonado at the plate, the Astros slugger hit the ball toward foul territory. Franco sprinted up the field and into foul territory to track down the ball. He appeared to have missed catching the ball in his glove and instead came up with the ball using his bare hand.

By the time Franco’s momentum came to a halt, he was near the left-field fence – about 315 feet down the third-base line.

The Rays would win the game, 8-3. Franco was 4-for-5 with an RBI.

Franco is at the start of his third full season with Tampa Bay. The Rays got out to a hot start, winning their first 13 games before losing their first against the Toronto Blue Jays. Tampa Bay entered the game against Houston with a 19-3 record.

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Through 21 games, Franco was hitting .289 with a .908 OPS and four home runs. He was 24-for-83 at the plate and has 11 runs scored.

Franco only played in 83 games during the 2022 regular season. He was out with strained quadriceps and then needed to recover from hand surgery in the middle of the year. He ended up hitting .277 with a .746 OPS and six home runs.

He will be key for the Rays and their playoff hopes this season.