J.C. Escarra had a long traveled road to his journey of making the New York Yankees 26-man roster for opening day which was officially announced on March 22.
A source told World Baseball Network’s Julian Guilarte that the 29-year old left-handed hitting catcher made the Yankees roster before the team announced it yesterday.
Yanks news: J.C. Escarra has made the team.
— Julian Guilarte (@JulianGuilarte1) March 22, 2025
Escarra received the news from Yankees manager Aaron Boone and called his mom shortly after in a heartfelt moment.
The moment @jcescarra told his mom that he made it to The Show ???? pic.twitter.com/Rc9X4sPOdf
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 22, 2025
Moreover the Cuban American gets to live out his dream of playing for the New York Yankees. That was his favorite team growing up thanks to his fathers passion for the Yankees. His favorite player was Tino Martinez and now Escarra gets a chance to follow in his footsteps as a lefty hitter.
Escarra spoke with World Baseball Network previously when he signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on Jan. 11, 2024.
What was striking was the confidence he had to make the Yankees active roster as soon as he signed.
“I’m going to make an impact and people are going to see what I can do,” Escarra told World Baseball Network in Jan. 2024.
Around 14-months later and his MLB dream has now been realized. The mental make up he possesses is impressive and the resilience of working four jobs to keep his dream alive.
J.C. Escarra went through it all after being released by the Baltimore Orioles organization in 2022. Oddly they didn’t allow him to catch even though he was drafted as a catcher out of FIU by them in 2017.
Escarra played in Mexico in Liga Mexicana de Bèisbol in 2023 for Algodonores de Union Laguna. In 2023-2024, he played in Puerto Rico in Liga de Bèisbol Professional Roberto Clemente for Leones de Ponce. He also played six games for Puerto Rico in the 2023-2024 Caribbean Series at loanDepot Park.
Escarra continued his baseball dreams in the Dominican Republic this past winter. He took LIDOM by storm and this was highlighted by winning the battle title in 2024-2025 season with Àguilas Cibaeñas. Escarra had a .363 batting average in 113 at-bats.
Yankees catcher JC Escarra has put himself in position to make the opening day roster. He won the LIDOM Batting Title this past winter and learned from the great Yadier Molina. The Yankees organization also loves his defense.
AA/AAA: 12 HR | 64 RBI | .789 OPS | 426 AB pic.twitter.com/SkvWQYRp1s
— Dugout Station (@DugoutStation) February 25, 2025
He also played independent baseball in the American Association with the Kansas City Monarchs in 2022. In 2023 he was with the Gastonia Honey Hunters in the Atlantic League.
Through all of this journey, Escarra believed he was eventually going to be an MLB player. The Yankees showed that same belief in him when they traded catching prospect Carlos Narvaez to the Red Sox on Dec. 8.
At this point, Escarra was on the taxi squad this past postseason and was added to the Yankees 40-man roster on November 3, 2024.
He took nothing for granted and carried over his hot LIDOM hitting right into Spring Training. Escarra had three home runs, eight RBI, a .333 batting average and an OPS of .936 in 48 at-bats.
The backup catcher spot was clearly his and he can also play first base, third base and the corner outfield positions.
Last season in the minors, he played 19 games at third base, 27 at first base, six in the corner outfield, and he caught 59 games.
Scouts have told World Baseball network that the Yankees really like his advanced defensive metrics behind the plate. His rocket of an arm is why he’s called the “Hialeah Cannon.” The Yankees helped him brush up on his skills behind the plate and it has paid dividends quickly.
Escarra will head north with the team on opening day and he will start the season as the backup catcher to Austin Wells.
There are definitely scenarios where he could be in the same lineup as Wells with one of them being the designated hitter. They will want to keep Wells fresh and against tough righty pitchers, it can help them stack even more lefties.
Congratulations to J.C. Escarra and his family on his hard work, dedication and willingness to never give up on his dream.
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: New York Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra watches batting practice during a baseball spring training workout Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
