TAMPA — J.C. Escarra took the scenic route, but the catcher finally reached his desired 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 recounted the one-on-one chat with Boone on Sunday when he wasn’t getting hugged by teammates.
“I was expecting some good news, obviously, but he really got me at first,” Escarra said. “My heart kind of sank at first.”
With reality settling in, Escarra will start the season as the Yankees’ backup catcher behind Austin Wells. He has never played in the majors. Instead, he has bounced around various foreign and independent leagues since being released by the Orioles in 2021, making stops in the American Association, Atlantic League, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
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. Naturally, he thought about quitting before joining the Yankees’ organization last year.
“I mean, how can I [not] when I was making $400 every two weeks in indy ball, playing overseas, playing winter ball, having all those odd jobs just to provide for my family?” Escarra said. “There was a time I was going to hang it all up. And I believed it. I believed it was time to move on and see what’s next.
“But I’m glad I didn’t.”
Escarra’s talk with Boone wasn’t the only one the Yankees shared. Another video showed the childhood Yankees fan calling his emotional mother to tell her he had made the big leagues.
“We’re going to New York,” he told her.
The clip quickly went viral.
“You could just see the emotions,” Escarra said. “I don’t really even cry that much. I knew she was gonna get like that, but it’s just a special moment.
“She went through it with me as well.”
The moment @jcescarra told his mom that he made it to The Show 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Rc9X4sPOdf
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 22, 2025
Escarra celebrated his life-changing news over dinner with his wife on Saturday. He’s traveling to Miami – he’s from the area – for Tuesday’s exhibition against the Marlins, so the Escarra clan will celebrate there as well.
Another party will follow in the Bronx, as Escarra said he’ll have more than 10 people at Opening Day, including his parents, grandmother, brother, wife and best friends.
“It’s a whole family dream come true,” he said.
That dream came true eight years after the Orioles drafted Escarra in the 15th round, and 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.
“I knew it was business,” Escarra said. “I was kind of bummed out they didn’t give me an opportunity to catch when I was hoping for it and I wanted to. But the Yankees did. So look at us now.”
Escarra returned to catching after exiting the Orioles’ org. Last year, he ranked as the best receiver at Triple-A 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 already, Escarra believes that another impending milestone will give him some extra strength. He and his wife are expecting their first child in June.
They’ll name him Juan Carlos Escarra III.
“I’m excited to be a father for the first time, and hopefully it gives me a little bit more juice on the field,” Escarra said. “Hit some home runs.”
First, Escarra will make his major league debut. It’s been a long time coming, but he hopes to enjoy the moment and take it all in.
“I was just grateful to be here at first, and now my dream’s come true,” Escarra said. “So that was the easy part. Now we just play baseball on the biggest stage. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Originally Published: