Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds. Bruce has been named an All-Star three times during his career.

Jay Bruce was the youngest of three children born to Joe, a plumber, and Martha Bruce, a schoolteacher. As a child, Bruce played both baseball and football but stopped playing the latter when, due to the risk of injury, Martha refused to sign the necessary consent forms.

Bruce attended West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas where he was a third-team all-American. He was drafted 12th in the first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. Bruce accepted a scholarship to play baseball at one of the premier collegiate programs at Tulane University before opting to turn professional out of high school.

Bruce's professional career began in 2005 in the GCL, playing for the Reds' short-season rookie team. He hit .270 in 37 games before moving on to the Reds' rookie affiliate Billings Mustangs. There he hit for a .257 batting average with four home runs and 13 RBI.

In 2006, he was promoted to the Reds' Low-A affiliate Dayton Dragons, where he excelled with a .291 average and 16 home runs, placing him on many top prospect lists. For the 2007 season, Bruce was promoted to the Reds' high-A team, the Sarasota Reds, then quickly promoted to the Reds' Double-A team, the Chattanooga Lookouts. He was selected to the 2007 All-Star Futures Game. Bruce was then promoted to the Reds' Triple-A club, the Louisville Bats, where he ended the season by winning Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award.

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