Wander Franco’s trial against the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop in the Dominican Republic will begin on December 12, the Puerto Plata law firm announced on Thursday.

Franco is charged with sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor and human trafficking, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

The court summoned Franco and the mother of the alleged abused child to the trial following an investigation opened in 2022. The case will be heard by a panel of three or five judges.

In September, Judge Pascual Valenzuela ruled that the accusation and evidence presented by the prosecutor were sufficiently substantiated to warrant a trial.

Franco, 23, was placed on Major League Baseball’s restricted list in July, sources had told ESPN, after prosecutors in the Dominican Republic charged him with an alleged sexual relationship with a then-14-year-old girl.

He is also under MLB investigation under the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy until the matter is resolved.

The Rays gave Franco an 11-year, $182 million extension in 2021, just 70 games into his major league career. In 2023, he made the All-Star team for the first time.

ESPN’s Juan Recio contributed to this report.