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Try it freeTAMPA — J.C. Escarra’s heart sank.
When Aaron Boone called him into his office after Saturday’s game at Steinbrenner Field, Escarra was expecting some good news.
He had put together a strong camp on both sides of the ball to make his case for the backup catcher role, and all signs pointed to him making the team.
But when Escarra walked into Boone’s office, there were no other coaches present.
A former Uber driver and substitute teacher, who took those jobs to help pay his bills while he grinded through independent ball for two years, figured the room might be more crowded if there was something to celebrate.
Boone started off by framing the conversation as a “difficult” one and talking about the catching depth in the organization, which put a pit in Escarra’s stomach.
He has been told no and rejected plenty of times along his long journey to this point.
But after pausing for a few seconds, Boone broke the bit and told Escarra he was going to the big leagues.
Catcher J.C. Escarra, a former Uber driver, has made the
Yankees’ Opening Day roster. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Yankees’ J.C. Escarra doubles against the Blue Jays in an exhibition game on March 17, 2025. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
“It feels amazing,” Escarra said Sunday morning. “Lot of time coming. I was just grateful to be here at first and now my dreams come true. Now is the easy part. Now is just play baseball on the biggest stage, so I’m excited for what’s to come.”
After he got the news, Escarra called his parents and had a tear-filled conversation with his mom, telling her he had made the team.
“I don’t really even cry that much — I knew she was going to get like that,” Escarra said. “But it’s just a special moment. Special moment of what I’ve been through, because she went through it with me as well. So it’s a whole family dream come true.”
Escarra, who is set to become a father in June, celebrated with his wife on Saturday night.
By Tuesday, the 29-year-old will see the rest of his family when the Yankees play the Marlins in Miami, near where Escarra grew up in Hialeah, Fla.
And a large crew of family and friends will be in The Bronx on Thursday for Opening Day to see Escarra’s story of perseverance come to fruition after plenty of moments when he didn’t think this would ever happen.
J.C. Escarra tears up as he tells his mom he made the Yankees’ roster. X/Yankees“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 — there was a time I was going to hang it all up,” Escarra said. “I believed it. I believed it was time to move on and see what’s next. But I’m glad I didn’t. … I think something inside of me [kept me going]. God, just putting my trust in Jesus. He put something inside me that I can’t explain. It made me keep going and give it another year.”
The Yankees added Escarra to their 40-man roster in November, after he showed enough promise during the season between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
He entered camp in a competition with non-roster invitee Alex Jackson for the backup catcher job, but separated himself with a performance that earned him the 2025 James P. Dawson Award on Sunday as the club’s most outstanding rookie in spring training.
And now, after all the different titles he has held, Escarra can call himself a big leaguer.
“A lot of chess pieces have to align just for this opportunity to happen,” he said. “I feel like I did everything on my part to show I could help the team win. Thank God the opportunity’s here.”
