Heading into the 2025 MLB season, the New York Yankees had one very clear option at catcher: Austin Wells. Since then, however, multiple candidates have emerged to man the position.
First, it was JC Escarra, who made the team out of spring training and has been incredibly impressive behind the plate — and even at the plate — through the early stages of the campaign. Not only that, but Ben Rice is now getting some action as a backstop, too.
This has created quite the cushy situation for New York, and while Wells and Rice are obviously the bigger names, Escarra is carving out quite the niche in the Bronx.
As a matter of fact, Lucas Babits-Feinerman of Yanks Go Yard wonders if the Yankees might want to have Escarra catch Will Warren in each of Warren’s starts.
“The Yankees might also consider making Escarra Will Warren’s personal catcher, because Warren has a 2.97 ERA when Escarra is catching and a 6.56 ERA when Wells is behind the plate,” Babits-Feineran wrote.
That extends beyond just Warren, too.
“Similarly, Clarke Schmidt had a 1.59 ERA with Escarra catching entering Sunday and a 3.74 ERA when Wells is catching; that certainly went down. Devin Williams’ ERA with Escarra is 1.83, and it’s 6.33 with Wells,” Babits-Feinerman added.
Escarra caught Schmidt’s seven no-hit innings during the Yankees’ win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, further validating this point.
So, is it time for the Yanks to start giving Escarra more playing time, particularly when Warren is on the mound? Perhaps, especially considering that the 30-year-old rookie also owns a very respectable .753 OPS thus far this season.
The sample size is obviously relatively small, but there is no denying that Escarra has been very impressive throughout the 2025 campaign, and it may be time for New York to start giving the Hialeah, Fl. native more attention.