Uber-driven: Yankees’ J.C. Escarra always goes extra mile

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

Escarra is poised to make 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 — he hopes — 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,” Escarra 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, if he makes it to the majors? Escarra admits he’s already 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 spent the past two offseasons stocking shelves at a Whole Foods near his Nashville-area home, according to MLB.com. The 27-year-old 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 catch on and 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.

Escarra 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 just .234 there but actually improved at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .302 with eight home runs 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.”

It’s not official yet, but Escarra’s sizzling spring training (.342 with three home runs and a .972 OPS in 15 games going into Friday) plus his work behind the plate may have earned him the chance to line up on the first-base line at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

The big question: If that happens, 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.”

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.