Dukes plans return; Bulls say no thanks
Agent Scott Pucino said he spoke Thursday with his client, and the talented but troubled outfielder made it clear he is hoping to get back on the field soon.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published August 4, 2006
ST. PETERSBURG - Suspended Devil Rays prospect Elijah Dukes has no intention of quitting baseball and is eager to return to the field, his agent said Thursday. But the vice president of the Rays' Triple-A Durham team said Dukes is not welcome to rejoin the Bulls.
Agent Scott Pucino said he spoke Thursday with his client, and the talented but troubled outfielder made it clear he is hoping to get back on the field soon.
"There's not even a question about that," Pucino said. "He's waiting to get off his suspension and go play."
The Rays suspended Dukes indefinitely Tuesday for the cumulative effect of numerous disciplinary issues, and Dukes responded by telling Baseball America he was questioning whether he wanted to keep playing baseball.
But Pucino said Dukes, who packed his stuff and headed to his Tampa area home, was speaking out of frustration and still thinks things can work out with the Rays.
"He's frustrated a little bit by being suspended," Pucino said. "He just wants to go back and play."
Top Rays officials are expected to meet soon to decide whether to allow Dukes, 22, to return to the field or extend the suspension through the final month of the minor-league season. If Dukes does return, the Rays may have to find somewhere besides Durham to send him.
Bulls vice president George Habel said he was "relieved" when the Rays suspended Dukes, who has been involved in several behavioral incidents, and did not see any scenario in which the outfielder would return to Durham this season.
"I would be disappointed and surprised if that came up again," he said. "I was worried that Elijah wasn't learning from his mistakes. I'm a big believer in second chances, and in this case, third and fourth chances, and I think that's what this situation breaks down to."
Habel said the decision to suspend Dukes was a "cooperative" effort between Durham and Tampa Bay officials, and he was happy with the way the Rays responded to the seasonlong sequence of disciplinary issues, even if their actions didn't necessarily work.
"Throughout this whole ordeal you'd think things would probably settle down and they didn't, but I can not accuse them of looking the other way," Habel said. "They've been responsive.
"I think the thing that has frustrated everybody involved is that the punishments, whether they came from the Devil Rays or the league, there have been consequences for improper behavior, but things continued to go wrong. It's like it wasn't sinking in."
At this point, he said the Bulls are just hoping to get through the final month with no further incidents.