It's Time for Yankees to Pull the Plug on J.C. Escarra Experiment

J.C. Escarra doesn't have what it takes to be a reliable backup catcher, meaning it's time for the Yankees to move on. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It sounds like a broken record at this point, but the Yankees have a catcher problem that doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. Despite what defensive and catch-framing value he brings to the table, Austin Wells simply isn't getting the job done with a .169 batting average, four home runs and seven RBIs across 46 games, and it's safe to say that backup catcher J.C. Escarra hasn't done much to help the situation behind home plate.

With each passing game, it's growing harder and harder to stomach Escarra's performance. He's far from the worst defensively; however, his lack of an offensive upside should give the Yankees every reason to explore potential upgrades, especially if they want to make a serious change at catcher to help with their World Series aspirations.

Note: all stats are as of Friday, June 5.

J.C. Escarra is running out of time in New York

After playing baseball in various lower leagues, Escarra made his big-league debut with the Yankees in 2025. The Hialeah, FL native ended up making 40 appearances (84 at-bats) last season, notching two home runs, 11 RBIs with as many walks and a stolen base while slashing .202/.296/.333 with a modest 14.3% strikeout rate. While far from perfect, New York kept him around, clearly believing that the best was yet to come.

As it turns out, that hasn't been the case through two months. Escarra is slashing a pedestrian .177/.235/.258 with an abysmal 39 OPS+ in 22 games/62 ABs so far. The Florida International product hasn't hit a home run yet despite notching four extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple), while his strikeout rate has risen to 22.1%. His hard-hit rate has also dropped from 43.1% to 31.3%, as has his average exit velocity (90.8 mph to 87.5 mph).

J.C. Escarra's bat has left much to be desired, sparking every reason to turn the page. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Making matters more dire, Escarra's performance has only worsened since early May. He had nine hitless performances in his last 10 games as of Friday afternoon, all while only recording three total bases. The following chart further illustrates the drop-off in his early-season play compared to the last month or so.

Statistic	J.C. Escarra first 12 games	J.C. Escarra last 10 games
At-bats	38	24
Hits	8	3
Strikeouts	10	5
RBIs	6	1
Walks	2	3
Batting average	.211	.125
On-base percentage	.250	.214
Slugging percentage	.342	.125

No matter how you slice it, Escarra isn't giving the Yankees many (if any) reasons to keep him around as the backup catcher. Even trying out to see if he has what it takes to become a switch-hitter isn't worth keeping him around, as he's already struggling to hit from one side of the plate.

All of these issues compound into the Yankees needing to find a potential replacement option, whether that's internally or externally accomplished.

Yankees have various options to shake up their catcher situation

Of course, looking to the trade market is the easiest way to find an Escarra replacement. Or, rather, a complete upgrade for the underperforming backstop.

Anyone talking about the Yankees getting a catcher upgrade usually has the Twins' Ryan Jeffers or the Orioles' Adley Rutschman at the top of their target list. Jeffers is likely the more acquirable of the two; however, the upside Rutschman brings to the table might be too enticing for New York to resist. Christian Vázquez (Astros) and Hunter Goodman (Rockies) are other options who could give New York a boost.

The Yankees would likely have to overpay to acquire Adley Rutschman, but the effort could be worth it. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Free agency could also pose a solution after he officially became a free agent on Friday following his being outrighted by the Royals. On May 27, I wrote about how the Yankees should monitor Diaz's availability after Kansas City designated him for assignment, and now the Bombers have a chance to test that experiment. His performance this year hasn't been amazing, but it was only three years ago when he amassed 14 HRs and 72 RBIs in 141 games with the Rockies.

Internally, the Yankees could move Ben Rice to catcher, as he has experience there and would help loosen a logjam once Jasson Domínguez, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge return. At the same time, Rice's defensive play behind home plate isn't great, and the last thing New York would want is to distract him during an MVP-like season.

The Yankees could also give the right-handed Ali Sánchez a shot. The former Blue Jays/Red Sox catcher is batting .227 with a .702 OPS in 40 games (128 ABs) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, tallying six homers, 11 RBIs and 18 walks along the way. He wouldn't be a massive upgrade over Escarra, but he'd still be an improvement, nonetheless.

The point is that the Yankees have multiple paths they can travel down to replace Escarra, who's worn out his welcome. Whether it's a blockbuster splash or a low-risk free-agent signing, there's no excuse to avoid upgrading a catcher room that needs all the help it can get to keep the Yankees in the championship conversation.