PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — After hitting his third home run of the spring and throwing out a would-be base-stealer on Tuesday, catcher J.C Escarra attracted a small crowd of reporters as the Yankees worked on a 3-2 exhibition win over the Rays.

The scrum also included teammate Oswaldo Cabrera, who quickly changed the subject from Escarra’s play to his scent. Well, scents, actually.

“Can I ask my question?” Cabrera politely interjected. “How many perfume bottles you have in your collection?”

The answer, Escarra said, is over 100. He’s a big fan of unisex perfume — he’s hardly the only baseball player who feels fragrances are a performance-enhancer — so much so that he packed two different bottles for the Yankees’ trip to Charlotte Sports Park. One was for pregame, the other for postgame.

Escarra added that he’s spent “a couple thousand” on the stuff. While some bottles in his collection only cost $25-$30, his most expensive is a $900 Baccarat Rouge 540. That was a gift from former Indy ball teammate and ex-big leaguer Matt Adams.

“I rotate. So if I’ve used one a couple times already, I might put it to the back and get the next one in line,” Escarra explained, though he may roll with the smells that accompanied Tuesday’s strong performance. “I had a good day, so I think I gotta stick with these for a little while until there’s no more homers and put-outs.”

While Escarra certainly believes in a correlation between smelling good and playing good, he actually thinks there’s another reason he’s had a successful spring, especially at the plate.

That would be his new torpedo bat.

Escarra has bought into the oddly-shaped lumber, which inspired a days-long news cycle at the start of last season after several Yankees used the bats in a few blowout wins. Escarra messed with the torpedoes in 2025, but never committed.

“I used it for a little bit,” he said. “When things don’t go your way right out the gate, I pushed it to the side. But this year I said, ‘Yo, I’m gonna live and die by this bat.’”

Escarra said his reconsideration came with some encouragement from the Yankees’ analytics department, specifically Zac Fieroh. His official title is “manager, analytics and implementation, quantitative analysis.”

Aaron Judge also played an indirect part, as Escarra used one of his bats over the offseason, liked its heavier weight, and had a torpedo version of it made. The way the Yankees explained it, the torpedo barrel gives Escarra more coverage on pitches he tends to miss.

Asked if he’s noticed any tangible difference using the bat, Escarra said, “I’m hitting the ball harder.”

He’s right, as Escarra entered Tuesday’s game with a 94.1-mph average exit velocity this spring after averaging just 90.8 mph last season. And that was before his third-inning solo shot against Ryan Pepiot traveled 438 feet at 108.4 mph.

“Maybe it’s that. Maybe it’s not, but I’d like to think so,” Escarra said of his torpedo bat. “If I know I got a small edge, I’m gonna have more confidence. Hitting is all about being prepared and having confidence.”

As happy as Escarra was with his homer, he said the best part of his day was throwing out Ben Williamson at second in the first inning. That’s something he has been working on since catching just one base-stealer and allowing 19 swipes last year.

Escarra’s value behind the plate comes from his receiving, as he finished eighth in catcher framing runs (minimum 500 pitches) in 2025 despite spending a chunk of the season at Triple-A. It’s a large reason why the former Uber driver and substitute teacher is poised to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster again as the backup to Austin Wells.

Whatever Escarra can add with his bat and arm is a bonus.

“J.C. is a really good player,” Aaron Boone said. “I tell him this too: he just hasn’t gotten a chance yet. There’s no doubt in my mind, he’s a top-half-of-the-league catcher.”

CRUZ BRINGS THE HEAT

Little attention was paid when the Yankees made Yovanny Cruz their first signing of the offseason on Nov. 8, as the 26-year-old hadn’t pitched above Double-A and merely inked a minor league deal.

But the righty made his spring debut on Friday and pitched again on Tuesday. Both appearances saw him throw 100 mph with ease; he averaged 100.3 against the Rays while striking out two and walking none.

A sudden revelation, Boone said “we’ll see” when asked if Cruz could be in contention for a spot in the Yankees’ Opening Day bullpen. Of course, that’s unlikely given his lack of experience and limited camp – he reported with a banged-up shoulder – but an opportunity could come later in the season if Cruz can fire with control, something he’s had trouble with previously.

“If he throws strikes, he can impact things,” Boone said. “So that’s been a challenge so far in his career, but first two times out with us, he’s been good.

“He’ll be in the conversation, but more importantly, [he’ll] potentially be in the mix over the long haul, too.”

BULLPEN HOPEFULS
Three likelier bullpen hopefuls, Cade Winquest, Jake Bird and Kervin Castro, all threw an inning on Tuesday. Winquest allowed an inherited runner to score and struck out one, while Castro earned a run and fanned one.

Bird had the best day, logging a scoreless, hitless frame with one walk and three strikeouts.