Former Uber Driver, Substitute Teacher Makes Yankees' Opening Day Roster

The New York Yankees have just delivered one of the best feel-good stories you will ever find in sports, as the team announced on Saturday that catcher J.C. Escarra has officially made the opening day roster.

The former Baltimore Orioles 2017 draft pick was seen as a long shot to make the big league roster, but several injuries coupled with an impressive spring showing has finally ended one of the craziest quests to the Majors that any player has ever embarked on.

Escarra was taken in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles and spent the next several years bouncing around their farm system. He even made the move to first base along the way in hopes of eventually finding a sticking spot that would lead him to the majors.

It just wasn't meant to be in Baltimore, however, as the organization decided to release the former Florida Atlantic University stand-out in April of 2022.

From there, he made his rounds in the independent leagues, hoping to get another shot with an MLB club. In order to keep funding his dream, Escarra would also take up several part-time gigs along the way, including substitute teaching and driving for Uber.

His hard work eventually paid off, when in 2024 a New York scout saw Escarra play and decided to take a chance on him. The two sides agreed to a minor league deal, which saw Escarra play most of the 2024 season at Double-A.

He was eventually promoted to Triple-A in the back half of the season where he broke out, hitting .302 while collecting eight home runs and 34 RBIs over the final 52 games of the season for the Scranton/Wilkes-Bare RailRiders.

Following this stellar stretch to cap off the season, the Yankees extended an invite to Spring Training. With his second chance finally in hand, Escarra has seized upon the opportunity.

In 48 at-bats, Escarra has hit for a .333 average with three home runs and eight RBIs. This stellar performance coupled with several players slated to start the season on the IL for New York finally brought about the moment Escarra has been working towards.

Following the Yankee's spring training game against the Philadelphia Phillies, manager Aaron Boone sat Escarra down to deliver the biggest news of his career.

From Uber driver to substitute teacher to the Yankees in 2025.

J.C. Escarra’s journey continues in the Bronx 💙 pic.twitter.com/9Nk7wbwqlW
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 22, 2025

Only time will tell how Escarra's Major League career ends up playing out, but the journey he has taken in getting here has been nothing short of extraordinary. He will be one of three catchers New York will carry into the regular season along with starter Austin Wells and fellow backup Alex Jackson.

Regardless of what comes next for Escarra, the the story he's written so is part of what makes sports so amazing.

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