Bruce won’t rule out possible return to Mets

Jay Bruce appears to be on his way to the postseason — just not with the team he expected it to be with.

And even though he’s in Cleveland, Bruce still is keeping an eye on the Mets — and continues to be stunned by his former team’s misfortune.

Asked if he’d ever seen a team so beset by injuries, Bruce said: “I really haven’t. Going into spring training with the Mets, we thought we were a World Series contender — and I still believe that, had the injuries not taken over.”

But take over they did — and they haven’t stopped since Bruce was traded to the Indians on Aug. 9, part of a roster purge that saw veteran players such as Neil Walker (Brewers), Curtis Granderson (Dodgers) and Addison Reed (Red Sox) shipped out of Queens.

“I hate to see it for the guys,” Bruce said before the Indians beat the Yankees 6-2 in The Bronx on Mon- day. “[Yoenis Cespedes] down again [with a strained hamstring]. Seeing [Michael] Conforto get hurt killed me, it really did.”

Conforto suffered a dislocated left shoulder and a tear in his posterior capsule while swinging during an at-bat last Thursday.

“He was having a great year,” said Bruce, who was batting .311 since joining the Indians. “He’s kind of the next guy over there. It was bad to see that.”

Bruce continues to have high hopes for Conforto, but admitted the lasting impact the injury could have.

“He ended up being the pulse of that team, a guy you can rely on,” Bruce said. “I enjoyed the way he went about his business. He’s a young kid and in New York, you’re under a magnifying glass.For a young kid with all those expectations, he couldn’t have handled it any better. Hopefully this is just a small setback for him.”

And Bruce wouldn’t rule out a reunion with Conforto and the Mets when he becomes a free agent following the season.

“Absolutely,” Bruce said when asked if he would consider signing with the Mets. “I’m not someone to shut off any opportunities or burn any bridges. I believe the Mets are a team that feels obligated to put a winning group out there, barring any injuries. I enjoyed my time in New York. It’s a great group of guys there. The talent’s there. The nucleus is there. We’ll see what happens.”