The Yankees announced a slew of moves Wednesday night, as the upcoming Rule 5 Draft made them switch up their 40-man roster to protect valuable assets within the organization. And as a result, veteran OF Jacoby Ellsbury was released by the team.

With the move, Ellsbury's rough tenure with the Yankees officially comes to an end, as he had trouble coming back from injuries that included his oblique, back and hip. He needed surgery to repair his hip in 2018 and has been rehabbing since.

But these injuries won't deter Ellsbury from returning. Just because the Yankees let him go doesn't mean the 36-year-old's career is over.

"He's finishing up his rehab [in Arizona] with a focus on Spring Training," a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. "I'm sure he will [try to play in 2020]."

In letting Ellsbury walk, the Yankees are biting the bullet on about $26 million, which is his $21.1 million salary for 2020 and a $5 million buyout for his 2021 salary. His seven-year, $153 million deal he signed back in 2014 goes down as one of the worst contracts issued in league history considering his production over the years.

Disregarding the past two seasons when he wasn't able to see the field, Ellsbury slashed .264/.330/.386 over four seasons with the Yankees. The Bombers were hoping he had another All-Star season in him like he did in 2011 with the Red Sox, but it never came to fruition.

Will a team scoop him up? Considering the Yankees are paying his 2020 salary, a team would likely take a flyer on a Minor League deal to see if he could make an impact. An executive told Feinsand, "It's a freebie for someone."

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