KANSAS CITY -- Mariners first baseman and outfielder Jay Bruce, who went into play Thursday with a share of the Major League home run lead, was held out of Seattle’s series finale against the Royals to rest a sore left Achilles tendon.

The 32-year-old missed two months last season with a hip issue while with the Mets, and he also dealt with plantar fasciitis in his feet much of the year, but Mariners manager Scott Servais said the tender Achilles was unrelated.

Servais took Bruce out of Wednesday’s 6-5 victory over Kansas City in the fourth inning, after the veteran told him his heel was hurting again after a similar issue had cropped up about a week earlier.

“He said he’d felt something a while ago and kind of got it massaged out and worked out and felt fine,” Servais said. “He said he felt it a little bit early in the game last night and it was bothering him again. So I just took him out of the game right there. We want to stay out ahead of that stuff. We’ll see how it is when we get back home.”

Bruce is hitting just .204 this season, but seven of his 10 hits have been home runs. Khris Davis of the A’s and Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers also had seven homers going into Thursday’s play.

Swarzak stepping up in late-inning role
Servais still isn’t designating a specific closer to replace the injured Hunter Strickland, though Anthony Swarzak has filled the primary late-inning right-handed role and has recorded two saves since coming off the 10-day injured list 10 days ago.

But Wednesday’s win was another example of how the Mariners will match up in late innings rather than stick with a set closer, as Swarzak came in with one out in the eighth to face a group of right-handed hitters, with lefty Roenis Elias then called on for the save in the ninth.

“I’ve told him, ‘We do not have a ninth-inning closer,’” Servais said. “You might pitch in the eighth if we think that’s the part of the lineup or pocket that fits best for you. He said, ‘I’ve got it.’ He was ready.

“He’s done a really nice job. He’s given us a big-time shot in the arm. He comes in aggressive. Anthony likes to talk a lot and talks a lot of smack and other stuff, but he’s backing it up right now. It’s been good to see.”

After pitching in back-to-back games, Swarzak wasn’t available for Thursday’s series finale. The versatile Elias, who had thrown three innings in Monday’s game after Felix Hernandez’s one-inning start, was also unavailable Thursday after earning his second save of the year.

Taking the bat out of Whit’s hands
Servais made the unusual move of intentionally walking Royals leadoff man Whit Merrifield to put the winning run on first base in Wednesday’s win after Terrance Gore’s two-out double in the bottom of the ninth against Elias.

Billy Hamilton then walked to load the bases before Elias escaped by getting Adalberto Mondesi to pop out.

“It’s not conventional. You just put the possible winning run on base,” Servais said. “But I’ve never been wired that way. There are times you play it that way. He’s such a tough out; with the game on the line right there, we take our chance with the next guy. Merrifield is really, really a tough out, certainly for our left-handed pitcher. I thought it was worth the gamble there.”

Merrifield had set a Royals record by extending his hitting streak to 31 games with a perfect bunt in the seventh inning. Had the speedy right fielder not gotten a hit there, Servais would still have walked him in the ninth even if the streak had been on the line.

“You’ve got to win the game,” Servais said. “I give him a ton of credit. We were up on the bump with no strikes and it was in our scouting report -- we talked about how he will 0-1 drag bunt. He did it, game on the line, 30-game hitting streak. He executed it perfectly and we had no chance. Give him credit.”

Injury update
Reliever Shawn Armstrong, sidelined since the start of the season with a strained left oblique muscle, threw a scoreless first inning for Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday in his second Minor League rehab outing, and he could be ready to come off the 10-day injury list at some point during the upcoming homestand.