RADIO
J.C. Escarra Penciled Into No. 2 Catcher Role
New York Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra will open the regular season in a backup role behind Austin Wells, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Ben Rice did appear in Sunday's spring training game behind the dish, but he's expected to spend most of 2026 at first base, leaving Escarra as the natural No. 2 backstop option. The 30-year-old made his MLB debut in pinstripes last year, slashing .202/.296/.333 with an 11.2% walk rate, a 14.3% strikeout rate, and 79 wRC+ across 40 big-league games (98 plate appearances). He didn't have the best batted ball results, but he posted solid discipline numbers and was significantly above average behind the dish with 3.9 framing runs and 3.3 defensive fWAR.
Source: Bryan Hoch
Source: Bryan Hoch
