Blue Jays minor league catcher Payton Henry has been discharged from the hospital and thanked fans for their support after he sustained a frightening head injury during the Buffalo Bison’s May 31 loss to the Syracuse Mets.
Mets infielder Pablo Reyes swung and missed at a pitch in the 7th inning of his team’s 4-2 win, striking Henry in the side of the head. Officials halted the game for several minutes while Henry remained on the ground.
After emergency services were called, both managers met with the umpires and decided to end the game in the 7th inning.
“Wanted to get on here and thank everyone for the prayers and concern. I’m doing pretty good and hoping to recover as quick as possible. I love you all!” Henry posted via X on Saturday afternoon.
The Bisons also offered an update, expressing their thanks to the Syracuse organization and local medical staff.
“Payton Henry has been discharged from the hospital and is doing well as he continues to rest and recover,” the team wrote, also via X.
We want to express our great gratitude to the Syracuse Mets organization and the medical support team at Upstate University Hospital for their assistance and support for Payton in his time of need.”
John Schneider: ‘Payton Is an Unbelievable Human’
Henry signed with the Blue Jays as a free agent in December 2023 and the club invited him to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Blue Jays manager John Schneider got to know Henry despite the catcher not playing a game yet with the Big League team.
“That was scary. He’s OK. He’s conscious. He’s all right. You hate seeing that,” Schneider said, per MLB.com’s Michael Avallone. “For one, Payton is such an unbelievable human and person. You hate seeing that as a former catcher, too. You kind of know what that’s like. He’s doing all right, which is a good thing.”
Schneider of all people knows. As a catcher, Schneider retired in 2007 after suffering three concussions in the same season, all from foul balls off his mask. He says he had seven total concussions in his playing career, according to the Toronto Sun.
Retiring when he was 27, however, allowed him to become the youngest manager in Vancouver Canadians history when he took the job at age 30.
Payton Henry’s Path to the Majors
Henry has 20 games of Major League service under his belt, all with the Miami Marlins in 2021 and 2022. In 43 career at bats, Henry has 8 hits and 4 RBI, good for a .186 batting average.
Last season in AAA Nashville, however, he hit .294 with a .795 OPS. His average is down to .244 this season with a .705 OPS.
For now, it looks like Henry is only a Major League option for the Blue Jays if there’s an injury to either Alejandro Kirk or Danny Jansen. And even then, Bisons catcher Brian Serven is already on the 40-man roster, while Henry is not.
Buffalo has placed Henry on the 7-day injured list while he recovers from his injury, making his road to the big leagues all the more difficult.
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