Yankees' J.C. Escarra once drove an Uber to support family

TAMPA, Fla. — You can’t doubt J.C. Escarra’s drive.

Escarra has made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster as a backup catcher. Not bad for a 29-year-old who was drafted as a first baseman by Baltimore in 2017 and switched to catching in 2022.

Escarra’s journey through the minor leagues and independent leagues to Opening Day in the Bronx on Thursday also took an unusual turn.

As in, “Turn here, driver.”

You see, in the 2022 offseason, Escarra was a free agent. So he supported himself and his family doing odd jobs, including a four-month stint as an Uber driver in his hometown of Miami.

“It was pretty awkward because I’m usually the one in the back seat of an Uber in my own world, just trying to get from A to B,” he told Newsday. “And now I had random people in my personal car that I use every day of my life.

“I had to provide for my family. I had to pay my mortgage. I did a little bit of Ubering. Did substitute teaching, lessons on the side. I would go around and measure floors for one of my friends that puts in floors. So all these just to provide for my family and see if another opportunity arrives to keep playing.”

And now that he has made it to the majors? Even before he got the word, Escarra admitted that he already had thought of playing up his unique background.

“I already have a bunch of stuff with me and my team that we want to do,” he said. “Maybe do a commercial with Uber. This would be pretty cool. I have some ideas in my mind, probably like me driving and telling the passenger, ‘We’re at your destination.’ And then I get out of the car with my Yankee uniform on.”

Escarra isn’t the only New York baseball backstop who has a history in another industry.

Mets minor-league catcher Hayden Senger, 27, spent the past two offseasons stocking shelves at a Whole Foods near his Nashville-area home, according to MLB.com. He has a good chance to make the Mets after Francisco Alvarez broke a bone in his hand during spring training.

“I needed the money,” Senger told MLB.com of his supermarket stints.

If these two guys get in a game, they will be making their major-league debuts.

For Escarra, it would be the culmination of a new journey that began after he was released by the Orioles in April 2022.

He signed as a catcher with the independent Kansas City Monarchs. He played in the Mexican League, in winter ball in Puerto Rico and for the independent Atlantic League’s Gastonia (N.C.) Honey Hunters, where he caught the eye of Yankees pro scout Raul Gonzalez.

“That’s the first time I knew about the Yankees,” Escarra said. “The scout was just asking me just regular questions of how I feel catching. But it wasn’t until a year later when I signed with the Yankees. They followed my journey all throughout independent ball, Mexico, winter ball, everything.”

Escarra, a lefthanded hitter, started 2024 with Double-A Somerset. He hit .234 there but improved at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .302 with eight homers and a .930 OPS.

Escarra went on to hit .363 in the Dominican Winter League, winning the batting title. The Yankees promoted him to the 40-man roster and he took his place with a long list of inexperienced catchers vying to win the backup job behind Austin Wells in spring training.

Escarra stood out, and not for his driving skills.

“It’s funny,” pitcher Clarke Schmidt said. “Everybody has such different journeys in this game, whether they come in older, they debut younger, wherever the game takes you. This game is kind of crazy. He has a very unique path and a very cool story.

“You can tell, when you’ve kind of faced that adversity, it keeps you humble. But also there’s a little bit of optimism and excitement from him, and he carries a good presence and is very positive. As a pitcher, when you have a catcher who can fill you up with confidence and tell you how good your stuff looks, it goes a long way.

“I think he’s going to have a really good career. I think this is the beginning of what could be a very special career for him.”

Aaron Boone broke the news to Escarra on Saturday, but first he made the catcher sweat a little. In a video posted on X, Boone brought Escarra into his office and began by saying, “This is difficult to have to do.” After praising Escarra effusively, he said, “’As you know, we have a lot of catching depth, as you know, so that’s what makes this hard.

“Nah, you’re going to the big leagues.’’

Escarra laughed heartily, clapped his hands and exclaimed, “Let’s go!’’

His sizzling spring training (.333 with three homers and a .936 OPS) plus his work behind the plate earned him the chance to line up on the first-base line at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

The big question: How is he going to get to the stadium?

“Depends where I live,” he said. “I don’t even know where I’m going to live yet. If I’m in the city, probably the subway. If I’m living in an apartment somewhere else, probably by car. Maybe by Uber. We’ll see.”

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.