Yankees release injured outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, still owe him $26 million

The Jacoby Ellsbury era in New York has mercifully come to an end.

The team announced that they have released the veteran outfielder despite still having to pay him $21 million plus an additional $5 million as part of the buyout agreement.

The 36-year old initially signed a a seven-year, $153 million contract with the Yankees in December 2013. His tenure in New York was nothing short of a disaster. For starters, a variety of injuries and a hip surgery forced him to miss 614 out of a possible 1,134 regular season games over six seasons. He hasn’t participated in an MLB game since the 2017 ALCS, which resulted in a seven-game loss to the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros.

He posted a combined .264 batting average, .710 OPS, 39 homers and 198 RBI throughout his time with the Bronx from 2014-2017.