KANSAS CITY -- Mariners outfielder Jay Bruce, who had homered in three straight games, was taken out of Wednesday night’s 6-5 win over the Royals in the fourth inning after feeling tightness in his left Achilles tendon.

Bruce doubled and scored in the first, and he walked in the second, but he was lifted for pinch-hitter Domingo Santana in the fourth inning.

“Jay’s Achilles is barking a little bit,” manager Scott Servais said. “It’s something he had 7-8 days ago and it had calmed down. It just didn’t really get loose on him today, so he came up in midgame and said he wanted to be out ahead of this thing. We got him out of there. I don’t know if he’ll be available tomorrow. We’ll maybe give him tomorrow off and see where we’re at from there.”

The 32-year-old Bruce entered Wednesday with a share of the Major League lead in homers with seven, including four in the previous three games. He’s hitting just .204, but seven of his 10 hits have been homers.

Bruce was one of five players acquired from the Mets in the trade for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz after an injury plagued 2018, when Bruce totaled just nine homers and 37 RBIs in 94 games while batting .223.

But the three-time All-Star has been healthy this spring and he has been a key part of Seattle’s 12-2 start to the season.