Fastball

Washington Nationals Officially Call Up Bruce the Bat Dog For MLB Debut

Bruce the Dat Dog was promoted from Triple-A Rochester to take the field for Saturday's showdown between the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins, even getting an official patch on his bandana.

Sam Connon

Bruce the Bat Dog prepares to take the field before the Washington Nationals' home game against the Miami Marlins.
Bruce the Bat Dog prepares to take the field before the Washington Nationals' home game against the Miami Marlins. / Courtesy of MLB/X
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The Washington Nationals have had a handful of top prospects break into big leagues in recent years, but the one who got promoted Saturday came with a whole new kind of hype.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Nationals announced they would be calling up Bruce the Bat Dog from Triple-A Rochester. He made it down to D.C. just in time for Saturday's game against the Miami Marlins, getting the full-on star treatment on his way into Nationals Park.

After all, Saturday was Washington's "Pups in the Park" day, making it the perfect time for Bruce to soak up the spotlight.

And like every other prospect making their MLB debut, Bruce was given a patch commemorating the accomplishment to wear on his jersey – or, in his case, his Nationals bandana.

Bruce's rise to the majors was borderline meteoric, considering the golden retriever only made his debut with the Red Wings in September 2024. He took over for Milo, who died in May 2023.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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