ROCHESTER, NY – It’s every baseball player’s dream: to be invited to “The Show.”

It means you have made it.

That time has come for one of the Rochester Red Wings’ youngest talents, who has been “working his ass off” in training according to captain Matthew LeCroy. Now Bruce the Bat Dog is set to make his professional debut on September 5th.

WATCH: Bruce gets the nod

His owner (or should we say manager?) is Josh Snyder, who also owned Milo, the club’s first bat dog. After four years of chasing bats and earning belly rubs, Milo died last year from complications of illness.

When he was still a fluffball, Bruce was named Bat Dog in December 2023. He had big paws to step into, but LeCroy says he did a great job.

Bruce made his first appearance in Rochester in April 2024, when he trotted to the pitcher’s mound with a basket in his mouth containing the game ball. Since then, he has been greeting fans and learning how to retrieve discarded bats. It is unknown if he has learned to ignore the scent of Zweigle wafting through the stands as part of his training.

In addition to being a key member of the team, Bruce is also a philanthropist. The “Bruce Bettering the Community” campaign benefits Honor Flight of Rochester and the Veterans Outreach Center. Every time Bruce picks up a bat on September 5, the Flower City Group will donate $100 to the fund: double their usual donation.

And when he’s done retrieving the bats, Bruce will greet his fans at a “Meet and Pet” session.

Tickets for the game are available at RedWingsBaseball.com or by calling the box office at (585) 454-1001. The first 100 fans through the gates will receive a Bruce replica jersey.