Photo by Scott Ableman.

The Nationals released outfielder Elijah Dukes today, ending what was, at times, a tumultuous two seasons with the team. Mark Zuckerman notes that Nats manager Jim Riggleman will likely choose from the trio of Willie Harris, Justin Maxwell or Mike Morse to fill Dukes’ starting spot in right field this season. Dukes hit .250 last season, with 8 home runs and 58 RBIs in 107 games.

While this news should already serve Nats fans with plenty of reason for scuttlebutt, an interesting companion story is developing: former general manager Jim Bowden — who, if you’ll recall, resigned last March amid a federal investigation into the signing of a Dominican shortstop who was four years older than believed — pounded out two tweets saying that “Dukes was given opportunities most people dream about. He was given support and understanding and still failed. Sad.” Also: “After latest incident, credit Nats for making the right decision. They told him zero tolerance and followed their word.”

Obviously, Bowden’s telepathy failed him, as Zuckerman, Ben Goessling of MASN, and others — who, unlike Bowden, actually talk to manager Jim Riggleman on a daily basis about Nationals business — say that the manager confirmed that the release was strictly baseball-related. Current Nats GM Mike Rizzo also said that there was “no singular incident” which prompted Dukes’ release.

Bowden’s twitter feed is mysteriously empty at this moment.

Obvious bitterness from external parties aside, the Post’s Adam Kilgore reports that the move comes as a surprise to most of the locker room. Dukes has a checkered past, but he really seemed to be in a better place mentally after a mid-season stint in the minor leagues last summer. It wasn’t a ridiculous notion that Dukes was on the right track to being a serviceable option in the field this season — frankly, we just hope that he finds the same kind of mentors that he had here with another team so that he can keep his head totally focused on tapping into his talent.