Jay Bruce, who played 83 games with the Phillies in 2019 and 2020 before signing with the Yankees, surprisingly announced he will retire after Sunday’s game.
“Ultimately, I felt like I couldn’t perform at the level I expected out of myself,” Bruce told reporters.
Bruce had been playing quite a bit of first base, starting seven of the Yankees’ first 14 games there in place of Luke Voit, who tore his meniscus but is due back in May.
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He didn’t hit, though. Bruce went 4 for 34 (.118) with one homer and 13 strikeouts.
Bruce was well-traveled at the end of his career after nine seasons with the Reds. He played three years with the Mets, two with the Phillies and one with the Indians, Mariners and Yankees.
In 252 plate appearances with the Phils, Bruce hit .212 but slugged .494 and hit 18 homers. He delivered a bunch of clutch hits in his first month with the team in June 2019, when he was pressed into full-time duty after Andrew McCutchen tore his ACL on the basepaths in San Diego.
Bruce made more than $100 million in his 14-year MLB career. He finishes with 319 home runs, tied for 122nd all-time with Cecil Fielder and Prince Fielder.
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