Photo by Ed Delany, MMO
In his first taste of competitive baseball activities in nearly two months, Jay Bruce played a game on his rehab assignment with the St. Lucie Mets. He went 0-for-2 with a walk as he started the evening in right field against the Florida Fire Frogs.
Bruce, who was placed on the disabled list on June 17 with a right hip strain, is expected to return to the lineup within the next week and a half, as reported by Mike Puma of the New York Post. He will start at first base tomorrow, as the organization tries to balance a cautious regimen and some versatility refreshers along the timetable they have laid out.
The expectation going forward is that Bruce plays roughly half his minor league rehab games at first base, and ultimately spends more time at first than outfield upon his return. The Mets intend to gauge Bruce’s abilities there heading into the winter.
While it may serve to find playing time for Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto in an otherwise crowded outfield, it would most definitely hamper the development of both Dominic Smith and Peter Alonso. For the latter, it could spell an end to potential discussions of a September promotion.
It should be noted that neither Mickey Callaway nor anybody in the front office has given much information as to how Bruce’s playing time will affect the rest of the depth chart, but it’s certainly worth speculating as the clock continues to tick on the 2018 season.
