Franco, who is 19 and plays in the Tampa Bay Rays organisation, will headline the the Dominican Republic's team, according to a report from ESPN.

José Bautista, who on the other end of the spectrum is 39 and was named a Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star six times, will also be on the team.

A star for the Toronto Blue Jays for many years, Bautista is a free agent at present and said to be trying to make a comeback as a pitcher, but will play first base in the qualifier.

Geraldo Perdomo, a 20-year-old viewed as one of the Arizona Diamondbacks' best prospects, will also be involved in the Dominican Republic side according to the report.

Players who are on 40-man MLB rosters but not currently active for their MLB team will be eligible to compete in this tournament and the Olympic Games thanks to an agreement recently reached by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), MLB and the MLB Players Association.

The Americas qualifier is due to take place from March 22 to 26 in Arizona. 

The Dominican Republic will be in the same round-robin group as Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and hosts United States.

The top two teams will advance to the final round, with only the winner of the eight-team tournament securing a Tokyo 2020 berth.

However, the teams finishing second and third will advance to a final, global qualifier in Chinese Taipei.

That competition has been pushed back until June because of the coronavirus outbreak. 

The Dominican Republic has never won an Olympic medal in baseball, but did win the 2013 World Baseball Classic.