Joshua Massey Named River Division Comeback Player of the Year

Topsham Udder Tuggers’ #26 Joshua Massey has been named the 2026 Pine Tree League River Division Comeback Player of the Year.

In January, baseball wasn’t on Massey’s mind at all. A serious GI illness put him in the hospital for 22 days, and the goals got very simple: get out of bed, eat solid food, walk, and get home to his wife and kids. For a while, it wasn’t clear any of that was a given.

Recovery didn’t follow a straight line. It was two steps forward, one step back, with the constant worry of a setback in the background. Multiple doctors told him baseball needed to be off the table for at least a year. For the first time in 17 years, Massey missed Opening Day.

He couldn’t control how fast his body healed, but he could do the work. He listened to his body, got stronger, and kept going. When he was finally cleared to play, which took some convincing, he got back on the field as fast as he could.

Even then, it wasn’t a clean return. Swinging a bat after months away isn’t like riding a bike, and there were days his body made him back off and remember what he’d just been through. He took those days as they came, rested when he had to, and showed up again the next time. That patience, from a guy who freely admits he doesn’t love being out of control, may have been the hardest part of the whole comeback.

He never stopped showing up for the team, either. Before he was back to full strength, Massey was in the dugout coaching, and in September he helped coach the Pine Tree League All-Star Game at Bates College.

Limited to six regular-season games, Massey went on a tear. He hit .692 with a .765 on-base percentage, collecting nine hits, scoring eight runs, driving in six and drawing four walks in just 17 plate appearances. Counting the playoffs, he finished the year hitting .565 with a .656 on-base percentage and 13 RBI across 10 games.

And in typical Massey fashion, he came up big when it mattered most, delivering a big hit in a big spot in the championship game against Bethel.

He also caught again. Across 10.2 innings behind the plate he allowed no passed balls and threw out 20% of would-be base stealers.

Massey has said that playing again was enough to make the season meaningful, award or not. In a year when so much was out of his control, baseball gave him routine, something to look forward to, and a piece of himself back. He credits the doctor who gave him a chance, and his wife, family and friends who went through it all with him.

Congratulations to #26 Joshua Massey, the 2026 River Division Comeback Player of the Year. In a season full of big hits, his return was the biggest one.