Jay Bruce lands NL Player of the Week

On June 2 the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jay Bruce from the Seattle Mariners. The following day, Andrew McCutchen suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the 2019 season. Bruce was given an opportunity to step up for his new team and he took it.

On June 4 he put up three hits, one of which was a grand slam, and had six RBIs in the team’s 9-6 win over the San Diego Padres. Following that game, Jay Bruce never looked back.

In his first six games with the Phillies, Bruce put up a .381 batting average, with four home runs and 11 RBIs. Over that stretch, the Phillies went 4-2 and are currently tied with the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. His performance not only grabbed the attention of many Phillies fans, but it also earned him NL Player of the Week.

Jay Bruce was traded to the Mariners by the New York Mets this past December as part of the deal that landed the Mets Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. During the first two months of the 2019 season, he played 47 games with the Mariners, batting .212 with 14 homers and 28 RBIs.

Bruce had been named Player of the Week five times prior to this one, with his last one coming in September 2012 with the Cincinnati Reds. He is the first Phillies player to be given this honor since July 2015, when Cole Hamels was the recipient. He also is now the first member of the Phillies to hit four homers in his first four games in the modern era. The Phillies’ new starting left fielder seems determined to help his team stay ahead in the race for the NL East, while also continuing his run into the All-Star break and beyond.