The Washington Nationals announced they were calling up Bruce the bat dog for his MLB debut against the Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park.
Bruce, a 21-month-old golden retriever, gets his first career assignment in the big leagues after making an unforgettable impression with the Rochester Red Wings, the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate. Bruce made his professional debut for the Red Wings last September, recording countless stolen hearts and leading the league in total bats retrieved (a lot of them). He's also been a huge factor in improving dugout morale due to his natural good looks and irresistible charm.
Check out Bruce's priceless reaction to finding out he was getting promoted:
14/10 mlb call-up pic.twitter.com/DsUZMzVOtM
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 10, 2025
While some fans may refer to Bruce as an ace or a phenom, the tail-wagging rookie prefers the term, "good boy."
Nationals Park will host an honorary bat retrieval ceremony as well as a press conference for Bruce's major league debut this Saturday.
"Our fans and front office are always excited to see our players get promoted to the Nationals, but Bruce's promotion is a historic call-up to the big leagues that he richly deserves," said Red Wings GM Dan Mason. "He'll put on a doggone great show for Nats fans on June 14."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nationals Promote Bruce the Bat Dog to the Big Leagues in Adorable Call Up Video.