PORT ST. LUCIE — In parts of three Mets seasons, Jay Bruce never produced a highlight moment that endures. Nothing that is on an SNY endless loop.

Yet his impact lingers with the franchise — and not because he was a financial counterweight to Robinson Cano in the trade with Seattle that brought Edwin Diaz to New York.

Bruce was on again, off again teammates during Brandon Nimmo’s first three major league seasons. But a bond formed and Nimmo cites Bruce’s counsel to “play smarter, not harder” as the cornerstone influence in his growth from breakable to bankable.

From 2017-21, Nimmo was on the injured list six times. Then, in 2022, Nimmo played a career-high 151 games and was rewarded with the largest free-agent contract in Mets history — $162 million over eight years. Nimmo then went out in 2022 and played 152 games.

Part of the play smarter program these past few years is to ease into spring training and, thus, Nimmo delayed his first exhibition game until Sunday. Nimmo feels he has found a routine to build particularly his legs for a long season without leaving any of his game in the Grapefruit League.

“Brandon and I had a lot of conversations through the years and one of the things we talked about a lot is balancing between too much [work] and not enough,” Bruce, now an Astros adviser, said by phone. “Each player has to find the sweet spot for himself. It is a personal journey.”

Nimmo finding durability not only made him money, but gives the Mets a level of certainty on a roster that splits between some of the game’s most indestructible players and a key group — think Edwin Diaz, Starling Marte, Kodai Senga and Luis Severino, in particular — that should sway the Mets season depending on how much they can play.

Not all injuries are preventable. Genetics matter. So does fortune. But more and more, we learn the preventive benefits of better diet, flexibility, hydration, sleep and mental health. Adam Ottavino cares about all of that, plus gave me a 2 ½-minute tutorial on “positional breathing” and I was rapt because, among other items, Ottavino has appeared in the most games over the past six seasons. You know who is second? His new teammate Jake Diekman.

How about this: 39 pitchers have appeared in at least 60 games in each of the last two seasons. The Mets have five (Diekman, Ottavino, Phil Bickford, Jorge Lopez and Brooks Raley). No other team has more than three. You might not love this group — but durability keeps the Mets from a next group you might like even less. From 2017-22, Diaz was among the most indestructible relievers, appearing in the seventh-most games. Can he return to that after his torn patellar tendon cost him 2023?

On the position side, Pete Alonso’s greatest power might be his toughness — he’s played in the third-most games since his 2019 rookie year. Francisco Lindor backed up 160 games in 2022 with 161 last year — when he played with a bone spur in his right elbow. Jeff McNeil played 148 and 156 games the past two years. And Nimmo played the sixth-most outfield innings in 2022-23.

“I think 1,000 percent it becomes part of a team culture because young players see veterans play through things and get on the field every day and it impacts them,” Nimmo said.

It is central to the Braves ethos, especially last season when their starters played heavy innings to camouflage a suspect reserve group. As Carlos Mendoza said, “I bet you hate to be a bench player for the Braves because you never play.”

There are no guarantees that previous durability will steel this Mets roster. But the best predictive guide for health is health — those who play a lot tend to do that throughout a career. And vice versa. For example, Minnesota’s Byron Buxton might be on a Hall of Fame track if he could stay off the IL. Among the many reasons that Gerrit Cole is arcing toward Cooperstown is his metronomic ability to deliver 30 starts.

When it comes to “playing smarter, not harder,” Bruce emphasized this does not mean reducing effort. He noted, “That isn’t really a question with Brandon.” It is more about, “listening to the game,” by which Bruce meant what is the score, inning, time of year, etc. What is the wisdom of crashing into a wall or an all-out dive with your team down 7-1 in the eighth inning? As Bruce said, “There is no value when you are not playing.”

As Nimmo said, “What Jay told me is we all see you are giving your best effort. What you have to learn is when to take chances. Every game is important. But playing 150 games is more important than a single game.”

So, Nimmo cited learning his full range and when conceding a double rather than running into a wall — like he did in 2019 and missed three months — is the right decision. He plans on playing a drop more this spring to familiarize himself with left field (with Harrison Bader in center), part of an overall program to do enough in Clover Park to maximize his availability at Citi Field.

“The skill, and I do think it is a skill, is learning what you need to do to stay healthy,” Nimmo said. “It is something learned and it has changed my career.”