"We hope he'll do his best to try and play a part but if we're going to be realistic, it could force him out for the rest of the season," Bruce told reporters.
"It came to a head when he couldn't really train again last week. For how brave he is and how tough he is, there's probably only him that could carry on the way he has."
Following the Leicester game, Hull were charged by the Football Association for failing to control their players after Bruce's son Alex was shown a yellow card for a tackle on Riyad Mahrez.
The manager said on Friday that what annoyed his players was seeing Mahrez "blatantly trying to get someone sent off" by exaggerating his injury.
"When you are injured, you don't roll around like that because you can't," he said.
"The Leicester players, and unfortunately it's creeping in everywhere, wanted to get Alex sent off. For us, we surrounded the referee because it was a perfectly good challenge."
Bruce was speaking at a media conference ahead of Sunday's home game against the leaders Chelsea, which Hull go into in 15th place, but only three points above the relegation places.
"We've taken nine points from the last six games and got ourselves out of the bottom three and if we repeat that (form) over the last nine games it's going to be very difficult for the teams below us," he added.
Uruguayan Abel Hernandez, the club's record signing from Palermo, is expected to replace Jelavic.
(Reporting by Steve Tongue; Editing by John O'Brien)
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