New York Yankees fans are thrilled Jay Bruce is retiring

Jay Bruce’s time with the Yankees was forgettable to say the least, so it’s tough to blame fans for being a little excited he’s no longer with the team.

Bruce was clearly a shell of his former self with the Yankees, as the once-proud power hitter faded into oblivion during his time in the Bronx, failing to provide much more than a spring training jolt and some broken promises.

A first-round pick of the Reds in 2005, Bruce will be remembered most fondly in Cincinnati, where he has a good chance to be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. Since leaving the team, he failed to provide much of a spark outside of Great American Ballpark, outside of a productive year with the Mets in 2017.

“After 14 incredible seasons, I’ve decided to make the very difficult decision to retire from baseball. All I ever wanted to be ’when I grew up’ was a baseball player, and to say that I got to live out my dream would be the understatement of a lifetime. This sport gave me more than I could’ve ever asked for,” Bruce wrote in a statement addressing the news.

Some New York Yankees fans celebrated Jay Bruce’s retirement from baseball

Bruce is worth celebrating for many reasons, as a productive big-league career made him one of the more underrated power hitters of his generation. But for the Yankees, it’s an excuse to take him off their active roster.

https://twitter.com/bogiewrld/status/1383793003685240849

https://twitter.com/nigel_bradham/status/1383791857453334538

https://twitter.com/MrAidanFox/status/1383798672563998730

Jay Bruce was receiving paychecks courtesy of the Steinbrenner family, so it’s unlikely the Yankees supporters actually “bullied him into retirement.” However, the overall sentiment around the team was that Bruce wasn’t nearly good enough at first base.

Now, Bruce gets to ride off into the sunset while the Yankees can try other options. It’s a win-win.