New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Sunday that two-time All-Star Devin Williams had been removed from his role as the club’s closer “for now.”
After the Yankees’ swept a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, Williams spoke to reporters for the first time since Boone’s decision, and seemed to take the demotion in stride.
“I mean, with the way things have gone recently, it’s not really a shock to me,” Williams said when asked for his initial reaction to the decision. “Being the closer is a position you have to earn. And you have to keep earning it to continue to be in that role. Lately, I haven’t been doing that.”
The Yankees acquired Williams from the Brewers in December in exchange for lefthander Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin, with the intent to install the two-time National League Reliever of the Year as its closer. But Williams’ Yankees tenure has gotten off to a rough start.
In just eight innings pitched in his first season in the Bronx, Williams has surrendered 10 earned runs, the same number he allowed all year during his All-Star campaign with Milwaukee in ’23.
Williams has managed to notch four saves this season, including a rollercoaster ride of a ninth inning in New York’s Opening Day win. But the St. Louis native has struggled with his command (15.9 percent walk rate) and hasn’t had the same swing-and-miss stuff (career-low 18.2 percent strikeout rate) that vaulted him among MLB’s elite relievers during his tenure with the Brewers.
In Williams’s final appearance before his demotion, he entered the game in the top of the ninth inning seeking to shut the door on a 2-1 Yankees win. But he proceeded to surrender two runs on three hits to blow the save in a contest New York went on to lose 4-2 on Friday.
Despite Williams’s troubles, Boone is confident he will pull himself out of this rut.
“He’s still got everything to be great, right? This is a guy that is in the prime of his career and he’s just going through it a little bit,” said Boone. “I tell our players all the time, you make a career that’s long enough and you’re going to face some challenging moments. You’re going to face some adversity along the way.”
“And good news for Devin is he’s got everything to get through this and come out better on the other side. And that’s my expectation.”
Luke Weaver, who has pitched 13 consecutive scoreless innings, will assume the bulk of the Yankees’ save opportunities moving forward.
