J.C. Escarra

Juan Carlos Escarra (born April 24, 1995) is an American professional baseball catcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025.

Early life and amateur career Escarra's mother left Cuba for the United States in the Mariel boatlift as a child. as a catcher and a first baseman.

Professional career Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles selected Escarra in the 15th round, with the 458th overall selection, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut with the rookie–level Gulf Coast League Orioles, hitting .224 in 58 games.

Escarra split the 2018 campaign between the Low-A Aberdeen IronBirds and High-A Frederick Keys. In 63 games split between the two affiliates, he batted .315/.395/.479 with seven home runs and 38 runs batted in (RBIs). Escarra returned to Frederick in 2019, playing in 127 games and hitting .235/.325/.364 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs.

Escarra did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to action in 2021 with the Double-A Bowie Baysox and Triple-A Norfolk Tides. In 95 games for the two affiliates, Escarra batted .223/.332/.358 with eight home runs, 38 RBIs, and six stolen bases. He was released by the Orioles organization on April 6, 2022. Following the season, Escarra played for the Leones de Ponce of the Puerto Rican Winter League. He started the season for the Somerset Patriots of the Double-A Eastern League, as their third catcher behind Ben Rice and Agustín Ramírez. He was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A International League in July. In 124 appearances split between the two affiliates, he batted .261/.355/.434 with 12 home runs and 64 RBIs. On November 3, the Yankees added Escarra to their 40-man roster to prevent him from reaching minor league free agency.

After competing for a spot with the Yankees in 2025 spring training, He made his MLB debut on March 29, 2025, as a pinch-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers. Escarra hit his first major league home run against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 27. On July 30, he was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the roster for Amed Rosario. He finished his 2025 season batting 17-for-84 (.202) with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 40 MLB games. However, he was later recalled the same day after Austin Wells was placed on the injured list.

Personal life Escarra and his wife, Jocelyn, married in October 2022. They had a son in 2025.