Bruce ‘excited’ to join Mets, goes 0-for-4 in debut

9:57 PM ET

NEW YORK — One year after Jay Bruce nearly got traded to the New York Mets for Zack Wheeler, he finally put on the uniform Tuesday.

The Mets acquired Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds on Monday for prospects Dilson Herrera and Max Wotell.

Bruce made his Mets debut on Tuesday night against the New York Yankees, batting third and starting in right field. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts as the Mets beat their crosstown rival 7-1 in the second game of the Subway Series.

Bruce should soon slide to the cleanup spot behind Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes was out of the lineup for a third straight game because of the latest flare-up of his balky right quadriceps.

The Reds had bailed on trading Bruce to the Mets late in the process last year, and the Mets pivoted to acquire Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers.

Asked if he could duplicate the type of jolt Yoenis Cespedes brought to the Mets last season, newly-acquired outfielder Jay Bruce said, “The only responsibility that I feel is to be the best version of myself. I’m coming in to be a part of this team.” Rich Schultz/Getty Images

“I feel like I’ve been getting traded to the Mets for over a year now,” Bruce said. “You never know what’s going to happen until it actually happens. Last year there was some crazy stuff during the deadline. I try not to jump to conclusions or assume anything. So I waited until I got the …

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