He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, and Chicago White Sox.

He reached Double-A in 2002, pitching for the El Paso Diablos, and served as the closer for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League.

He compiled a 2.70 ERA with 26 saves in 63.1 innings to earn the Diamondbacks' minor league pitcher of the year honors.

[7] and made his major league debut that day against the Philadelphia Phillies, tossing a scoreless ninth inning in Arizona's 8–7 loss.

[14] Armed with an upper-90s fastball, mid-80s curveball and an aggressive approach, Bruney quickly established himself as one of the better relief pitchers in the Yankees' bullpen.

[16] Bruney was stricken by the flu and a rib cage injury during spring training in 2007, but still managed to crack the opening day roster.

[20] Bruney reported to spring training 2008 having lost 20 pounds in the offseason, in addition to gaining speed on his fastball.

[25] In 2009, Bruney pitched in eight games to start the season before hitting the disabled list with an elbow injury on April 25.

[27] On June 13, 2009, Bruney criticized New York Mets closer Francisco Rodríguez, calling his antics on the mound "unbelievable" and saying that Rodriguez has "got a tired act."

Rodríguez responded after the Mets won that day's game by saying "somebody like that, it doesn't bother me," and suggesting that Bruney "better keep his mouth shut and do his job, not worry about somebody else.

"[28] During batting practice the following day at Yankee Stadium, Rodríguez confronted Bruney on the field, pointing and shouting at him before teammates from both sides could separate the two.

[30] On October 28, it was announced that Bruney would be replacing backup catcher Francisco Cervelli on the 25-man roster for the World Series.

[34] He was released on June 21 prior to his opt out date, having pitched 3.1 scoreless innings with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds.

After the game, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper both expressed displeasure with Bruney for getting ejected.

[46] After spending two months out of action and attempting to rehab the injury, he underwent season-ending hip surgery in August.

[1] Since the end of his playing career, Bruney is now a youth baseball and basketball coach in Astoria, Oregon.