Deactivated and troubled Rays' outfielder Elijah Dukes is headed back to the baseball field, leaving Wednesday to play winter ball for Licey in the Dominican Republic. Dukes hit .190 with 10 homers and 21 RBIs in 52 games for the Rays before legal and personal problems led the team to drop him from the active roster in June, though he remained on the payroll and part of the organization. A decision has not been made on whether he will rejoin the big-league team next spring. "Elijah continues to make great strides," Rays' executive VP Andrew Friedman said. "We're still at the point in the process where it would be premature to elaborate much more, but we feel like he is at the stage where it's appropriate for him to go out and play some in the winter league and take it from there."