The New York Yankees have asked a lot of their roster this season. Injuries have forced players into unexpected roles at unexpected times. The organization has leaned on depth in ways that were not anticipated when the season began.
Nobody experienced that more dramatically this weekend than J.C. Escarra. In the space of less than 48 hours, he went from being optioned to Triple-A to sitting at home eating pizza to starting behind the plate in Cleveland.
He barely had time to finish the slice.
Inside the Yankees’ Sudden Recall
Late Friday night, Escarra received the call that he was being optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to the New York Post. He accepted the news, headed to his New York apartment, and took advantage of the rare window of family time. About twelve hours later, he was sitting with his wife and child, pizza in hand, when his phone rang again.
Do not leave town.
Austin Wells had been placed on the injured list with cervical headaches, and the Yankees needed Escarra back immediately. He never missed a single day of the season.
“They didn’t even give me time to think about it,” Escarra said. “I have an apartment in New York, so I wasn’t in a rush when I could be with my family. Stuff that I don’t get to do because we have games every day.”
Hours after that phone call, he was in the starting lineup.
“A few hours later they called me: ‘How fast can you get here?'” Escarra said. “Here I am starting tonight. Everything happens for a reason, but I’m just focused on doing as good a job as [Wells] did behind the plate.”
Why Escarra Is Ready
GettyJ.C. Escarra of the New York Yankees.
The whirlwind circumstances could have rattled a less experienced player. Escarra, 31, approached it with the calm of someone who has been around the game long enough to know how quickly things change.
His preparation helps. Escarra has caught every member of the Yankees starting rotation at some point over the past two seasons, which gives him a familiarity with the pitching staff that reduces any adjustment period significantly. When Wells went down, the Yankees knew exactly what they were getting in return.
Manager Aaron Boone made that clear after Monday’s win.
“He’s done a great job with our pitchers,” Boone said. “He’s been entrenched in our culture for the last couple years. I have a ton of confidence when J.C. is behind the plate.”
What the Catching Situation Looks Like
With Wells on the injured list, Escarra and Ali Sanchez are now platooning behind the plate. Sanchez had originally been called up to replace Escarra before the Wells situation flipped everything around. Boone is treating the position day to day and has expressed confidence in both options.
The Yankees won Monday night 7-5 in ten innings, with Cody Bellinger‘s tiebreaking two-run single in the tenth closing it out. Escarra was part of a catching rotation that held things together through a long, grinding game.
Final Word for the Yankees
J.C. Escarra went from optioned to pizza to starting catcher in less than two days. That is the Yankees’ season in a nutshell right now. Unpredictable, demanding, and somehow still producing wins.
He said everything happens for a reason. Monday night in Cleveland, it is hard to argue with that.
Yankees Get Wild J.C. Escarra Story After Guardians Win