"Elijah Dukes's tenure with the Washington Nationals ended Wednesday when the team unconditionally released him, a decision the team said was made for reasons pertaining only to baseball. The move left Dukes stunned and the Nationals without a set right fielder with the season less than three weeks away.

General Manager Mike Rizzo called Dukes's release "a performance-based decision" and that "no singular incident" led to the decision. But Rizzo also implied that Dukes's presence in the clubhouse adversely affected the Nationals, saying they "will be a more cohesive group" without him.

"The clubhouse will be more united," Rizzo said. "We'll have a better feel around the ballclub. We'll gain just by that alone."

In two seasons with the Nationals, Dukes delivered neither on his massive promise as a hitter nor on the ominous warnings his past legal troubles portended. On the field, he was mostly average. In his personal life, he endured tragedy and, those around him said, grew up. "