Jay Bruce was one of the better stories for the New York Yankees out of spring training. He had been signed to a minor league contract with little in the way of expectations, but had showed signs that he could be a viable major league hitter in spring training. With Luke Voit on the Injured List due to a torn meniscus, Bruce found himself on the Opening Day roster.
Unfortunately, that has been about the extent of Bruce’s highlights this year. The Yankees have indicated that they are moving away from the veteran slugger, with DJ LeMahieu heading to first and Rougned Odor being slotted at second.
Boone said that you can expect a lot of DJ LeMahieu at 1B and Rougned Odor at 2B for the foreseeable future. Seems the Jay Bruce experiment is over.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) April 17, 2021
The Jay Bruce Era is over for the New York Yankees
Despite having a prime opportunity, Bruce was unable to do anything at all during his time in New York. Heading into Saturday, he had just four hits, including a homer and a double, in his 39 plate appearances. Even though he drew five walks, he struck out 13 times as he just could not make enough contact.
It speaks volumes that Bruce is essentially being replaced by Odor. While his 39 OPS+ as of Saturday’s contest was thoroughly disappointing, it appeared Ruthian compared to the -16 OPS+ posted by Odor. But Odor does have more potential at this point, and the Yankees lineup is in desperate need of a spark.
This move also seemingly indicates that Bruce is not long for the active roster. He would be another outfielder on the bench, adding to Mike Tauschman and Brett Gardner. With Giancarlo Stanton as the designated hitter, and Kyle Higashioka as the backup catcher, the Yankees do not have anyone in reserve to slot in the infield should something happen.
Moves will need to be made. The Yankees may send down one of their arms to bring a utility infielder into the fold just in case something happens. But keeping Bruce on the bench as well wastes that roster spot. The Yankees will need to do something about their lack of depth, and Bruce is likely to be a casualty.
The Jay Bruce Era is over for the New York Yankees. It is now a matter of time before the organization officially moves on from him as well.