Indeed, no one told the Mets life was gonna be this way. This was supposed to be their third playoff season in a row, a modest streak the franchise has never reached. Yet they headed to Philadelphia with a 50-61 record and a strikingly dull product.

Wednesday’s highlight was Amed Rosario’s eighth-inning single, which snapped his 0-for-13 stretch. Rosario is hitting .179 — Aaron Judge’s average last season, across town — and he has not walked in his first eight major league games. He sought out the hitting coach, Kevin Long, to help him let the ball travel farther before he swings, which should improve pitch recognition and allow him to use the whole field.

Rosario’s development is taking place in the majors, which is how it should be for a team like the Mets. This is the time to make adjustments and learn the rigors of a new life.

“Minor league players, when they’re in a league where they’ve obviously shown it’s time to go, it’s time to give ’em another challenge,” Collins said. “They need to be moved. Amed Rosario will be a better player down the road when he realizes what it takes to deal with failure. You have to fail to understand how to get through it.”

Fans can tolerate a losing team if they believe they can glimpse a better future. A lineup of veteran placeholders, unwanted by other teams at the nonwaiver trading deadline, offers little appeal. Trading Bruce — a free-agent-to-be — underscores the reality that the kids are the show. Maybe the Mets can also find takers for Curtis Granderson and Neil Walker before the end of the month.

“It’s fun to watch young guys kind of get their feet wet and figure all of it out,” Bruce said, presciently, after the game. Speaking of Rosario, he added: “He’s got so much to learn — in a positive way. He’s got all the tools, all the talent, and I hope we just all continue to let him play and develop and become who he is.”