In handcuffs and under police guard, MLB baseball star Wander Franco appeared in court in his native Dominican Republic Friday on charges of abusing a minor.

The 22-year-old Tampa Bay Rays player made his appearance behind closed doors, telling waiting journalists during a bathroom break: "I leave everything in God's hands."

Franco is accused of having had sex with a teenaged girl over a two-day period in December 2022. They then dated for a few months with her mother's consent, according to the charge sheet.

Franco allegedly paid the mother for her silence, according to prosecutors, who documented seven monthly payments of about $1,700 as well as a car.