By: Brian Frank
Bisons catcher Payton Henry has experienced unimaginable adversity this season. First, he suffered a serious injury in a game at Syracuse in May, when he was struck in the back of the head by a bat on a backswing by Pablo Reyes. After Henry was carried off the field on a backboard, the teams agreed to call the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with Syracuse declared the winner by a score of 4-2. Then, while he was rehabbing from his injury, his brother Brooks passed away after a battle with brain cancer.
Henry returned to the Bisons lineup last night for the first time since suffering his injury on May 31.
“When the injury happened, I really didn't know if I'd ever play again,” Henry said in his postgame press conference. “I didn't know what was going to happen. I've had a couple head injuries, so that was something that was weighing heavy on me. I wasn't coming back great, but by the grace of God I came back and I was able to do it. It was just surreal. It was awesome that it happened (coming back to play this season), and I'm glad it happened, because I think just for my mental state, it was good to see that I could still do it.”
Henry looks on from the Bisons dugout earlier this season. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles
He was diagnosed with a concussion and suffered hearing loss in his left ear, which took over a month to return. His rehab was a long, slow process that required a lot of patience.
“It was complete rest for about a month and a half,” he said. “So, I did that and then started getting back in the weight room a little bit and just working out, trying to get my body ready and conditioned. Then once that was going well, I was able to get out to Florida for a while and get back to baseball activity.”
Henry wore a special necklace during his return containing a photo of him and his younger brother Brooks, who passed away on August 3.
“I think getting back out here for him was my main concern, and the main thing that I wanted to do for him and my family,” he said.
In his first at-bat in over three and a half months, Henry lined a single into right field – a spot on the field that held special significance for him.
“The last time I played here at home, my brother was in the stands and that's the last time that he got to travel to see me play, and the last time that I got to see him walk around and just living life,” an emotional Henry said. “So, it was really special. I watched a video before the game, and it's actually really funny how this works out, but I hit a single in the same exact spot that I hit a single that he videoed, and at the end of the video, you could hear him cheering for me. So, when that happened, going to first base, running down to first base, it was pretty emotional for me.”
Henry’s strong bond with his family helped him persevere through a difficult summer and return to the baseball field.
“My family’s been awesome,” he said. “The second that my parents found out that I got the head injury, they flew out to Syracuse and picked me up and was able to take me home and fly me home for a while. I think that's the only reason I'm here, to be completely honest with you, is them. I've got my parents, who have cheered me on my whole career, and my little brother Brooks, and my sister Gabby and my brother Mason. They've always kind of been there just to give me the nudge. They weren't pushy about getting me back or anything like that, but I knew that I needed to be here for them as well, because they were there for me.”
The 27-year-old Utah native, who signed with the Blue Jays organization last offseason as a minor-league free agent, has also felt the support of his teammates during this difficult summer.
“Everybody in this organization has been so good to me and understanding about what was going on with my brother and my family and what was going on with me personally,” he said. “I can't tell you how many teammates reached out, just checking on me, seeing if I was okay, checking on my family, seeing if they could do anything. The coaching staff here, every single one of them reached out. That was as encouraging as it gets. I wanted to make sure that I could come back here too and be able to spend some time with them, because, you know, baseball, it's a big part of your life. You’ve got a lot of friends, and with this organization I've made a lot of new friends. It's been cool to see everybody and get back here.”
Henry has played in 25 games for the Herd this season. Photo Credit: The Herd Chronicles, Brian Frank
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