Elijah Dukes Is in Need of Another Employer, Dawg

No matter how many chances he is given, Elijah Dukes just can't seem to get it right.

The controversial outfielder has exhausted his opportunities in a second major league organization, as the Nationals unconditionally released him Wednesday morning. The move, according to media covering Nationals camp, came as a "surprise" and a "shock" to Washington's other players.

The Nats' brass is insisting the move was purely baseball-related, but given Dukes' background, you have to think there's something more to the story. Former Nats general Jim Bowden hinted in that direction, tweeting "After latest incident, credit Nats for making the right decision. They told him zero tolerances and followed their word."

But current GM Mike Rizzo told reporters no "singular incident" led to Dukes' release. He did, however, allow that clubhouse chemistry probably would improve in the player's absence. Because Dukes was released Tuesday, the Nationals will owe him 30 days' separation pay. Tuesday was the final day teams could release players and pay them for 30 days rather than 45.

Dukes is an absurdly gifted athlete who because of injury and self-inflicted controversies has managed only 240 games in the majors the last three seasons. The 25-year-old is far better known for the actions and incidents that have kept him off the field than anything he has done on it.

The short list of his transgressions includes a series of arrests during his time in the Tampa Bay organization, but the incident that led to his ouster from his hometown team didn't involve an arrest. In May of 2007, Dukes' estranged wife accused him of threatening her at her workplace and texting her a picture of a handgun along with the memorable assertion, "You dead, dawg."

About a month later, the Rays banished Dukes to the inactive list, shelving him for the season. As his personal saga continued to unfold in courtrooms around the Tampa area, Dukes got a fresh start when the Nationals traded for him at the winter meetings that December.

Bowden never met a talented soul he didn't think he could save, and in Dukes he took on quite a challenge for the organization. The Nationals meticulously constructed a cocoon for Dukes that included employing what amounted to a personal guardian for the player, and he did manage to stay out of trouble for the most part during his time in D.C. (Except for that incident that led to a Little League organization paying a fine incurred by Dukes.)

On the field, injuries proved Dukes' biggest problem, and his production also slipped. In 107 games for the Nats last season, he hit .250/.337/.393 with only eight homers. Most remarkably, he was caught 10 times in 13 stolen base attempts. Poor judgment? Well, that's nothing new for Dukes.

Still, all indications were he was poised to be a regular for the Nats this season. Now, they'll turn to some combination of Willie Harris, Justin Maxwell and Mike Morse to hold down right field. And Dukes will have to find someone else willing to take a chance on him.