Springer returns to Houston for first time since signing with Blue Jays

In the 2020/2021 offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays landed one of the biggest free agents on the market, signing outfielder George Springer to a six-year deal worth $150 million.

Drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft, Springer spent seven seasons with the organization, earning a .270/.361/.491 slash line through 795 games while collecting 174 home runs, 458 RBI, and a .852 OPS. Defensively, Springer split his time between right and center field and left the organization with three All-Star nominations, two Silver Slugger Awards, and World Series MVP honours in 2017.

The signing of Springer is financially the largest contract in team history and his first season with Toronto did not get off to a roaring start, with the Connecticut product starting the year on the IL and struggling with various lower-body injuries throughout the year. He would finish the season with 299 at-bats through 78 games and amassed a .907 OPS with 22 home runs and 50 RBI while splitting time in center field and in the designated hitter spot.

Blue Jays outfielder George Springer returns to Houston this weekend for the first time since signing with Toronto back in the 2020/2021 offseason.

Last year, the Toronto Blue Jays faced the Astros six times, visiting the club in mid-May before Houston made the trek to Buffalo in early June. For both series, Springer was on the IL and did not get a chance to face his former team and has never played in Houston as a member of the away team until this weekend.

For his career, Springer owns a .260/.357/.463 line with 79 home runs through 394 games at Minute Maid Park. As of right now, the righty-batter is fifth in terms of home runs and sixth in slugging and OPS in Astros history, which is an impressive feat given some of the great players who don that list like Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman, and Jeff Bagwell.

Heading into this series with the Astros, the Jays are on a two-game win streak and just recently took the series against the Boston Red Sox and sit first in the AL East with a 8-5 record while the Astros have been playing .500 ball at 6-6.

Springer is having a solid season at the top of the lineup, sporting a .784 OPS with two home runs and six RBI through 13 games. There was some concern that Springer may miss the upcoming series after taking a Phillips Valdez fastball to the forearm and left later that inning but the X-rays came back negative and he even got some swings yesterday in the series finale.

This will be his first foray back in Houston since heading to Toronto two offseasons ago and one would expect the crowd to be welcoming of their former center fielder and World Series MVP.