Springer was hit by a pitch in the top of the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, perhaps as restitution for the two teams' bench-clearing incident on Monday. Instead of escalating the situation, Springer simply waited a couple of innings, then launched a home run off pitcher Mitch Keller his next time up.

He has seen his production at the plate stay stagnant or drop in five consecutive campaigns. His OPS+ in his final year with the Houston Astros before hitting free agency was 141. That exact number was recorded in his first year with the Blue Jays, but it has steadily dropped since that point.