TAMPA — J.C. Escarra took the scenic route, but the catcher finally reached his dream destination when Aaron Boone summoned him to his office on Saturday.
With hidden cameras recording their conversation, Boone initially acted as if Escarra had not made the Yankees’ roster after an all-around impressive spring. Then the manager dropped the charade.
“You’re going to the big leagues,” Boone told an ecstatic Escarra. “Congratulations. You earned it. What a journey, and it’s just getting started.”
“It’s real,” Escarra replied, smiling ear to ear.
From Uber driver to substitute teacher to the Yankees in 2025.
J.C. Escarra’s journey continues in the Bronx 💙 pic.twitter.com/9Nk7wbwqlW
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 22, 2025
A 29-year-old rookie, Escarra will start the season as the Yankees’ backup catcher behind Austin Wells. He has never played in the majors. Instead, Escarra has bounced around various foreign and independent leagues since being released by the Orioles in 2021. Newly married and mortgaged at the time of his release, Escarra also worked numerous odd jobs in the years that followed, including Uber driver and substitute teacher.
There was a time not too long ago when he would do just about anything to make ends meet. But on Saturday, the childhood Yankees fan called his mother and grandmother to tell them he had made his dreams come true.
“We’re going to New York,” he said in another video posted by the Yankees.
The moment @jcescarra told his mom that he made it to The Show 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Rc9X4sPOdf
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 22, 2025
The news, delivered eight years after the Orioles drafted Escarra in the 15th round, came shortly after Boone had been asked if Escarra was the Yankees’ backup.
Boone, unwilling to tip his hand before telling Escarra of his decision, simply said, “He hasn’t hurt his chances.”
No he did not, as the reviews and results Escarra compiled this spring put his five-star Uber ratings to shame.
Escarra entered Sunday slashing .333/.373/.936 with three home runs and eight RBI at the plate. Behind it, he impressed Yankees pitchers, coaches and front office personnel with his receiving skills.
That may come as a surprise to the Orioles, who moved Escarra away from the plate and stuck him at first upon drafting him. Even as he begged for a chance to catch before his release, Baltimore resisted.
Escarra returned to catching after that. Last year, his first in the Yankees’ organization, he ranked as the best Triple-A receiver and a 98th percentile receiver across minor league baseball, according to NJ.com’s Max Goodman, who cited internal defensive metrics used by the Yankees.
“This guy was out of work not that long ago,” Yankees director of catching Tanner Swanson said, but he expects Escarra to be a “major league quality catcher.” Swanson added that Yankees catching coordinator Aaron Gershenfeld deserves a ton of credit for the defensive strides Escarra has made.
A favorite within the organization, Escarra’s path to a roster spot became clearer over the offseason when the Yankees traded Jose Trevino to the Reds. This spring, Escarra beat out Alex Jackson, a veteran non-roster invitee with a strong glove and light bat who was acquired in the Trevino trade.
With Ben Rice set to fill the DH void vacated by Giancarlo Stanton’s tennis elbows, the Yankees are set to carry three catchers on their 26-man roster. Each swing from the left side, a non-issue for the club.
With some pop of his own, Escarra could factor into the DH spot as well when he’s not catching. At the very least, the Yankees are expecting him to provide some power off the bench.
“We really saw the bat last spring,” Boone said. “I thought, ‘Man, this guy’s a hitter.’ Well, he went out and had a great year catching, too. I think he’s improved so much defensively catching that we have a lot of confidence in him back there now. He throws well. He’s become a very good receiver, like a lot of our guys are. He’s got some presence to him.”