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The New York Yankees have enjoyed strong returns on an offseason roster overhaul, but one addition hasn’t helped the team as hoped.
The Yankees sit atop the American League East division with a 15-11 record, with free agent signings Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt off to great starts. But Devin Williams, who the Yankees placed in the closer role after landing him from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade before opening day, has struggled.
Williams has an 11.25 ERA in eight innings so far for the Yankees, giving up 10 earned runs in the process.
On Saturday, a rainout postponed their matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays and gave manager Aaron Boone the chance to consider moving Williams out of the closer role.
“We’ll still talk through this,” Boone told the New York Post on Saturday morning, as the game was postponed. “We’ll try to do what’s best for the team and Devin.”
Now, as of Sunday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has reported that the Yankees made their decision to move Williams out of the closer role.
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“The Yankees realized they have no choice but to take Devin Williams temporarily out of the closer’s role with his 11.25 ERA this season, but remain confident he’ll soon be back to being an All-Star caliber closer,” Nightengale wrote.
Williams is a two-time All-Star and two-time National League Reliever of the Year Award winner, though he has struggled in some high-leverage situations, like the 2024 playoffs. Nightengale added that he could simply need a mental break to bounce back to form.
“When you go from a small market to New York, it’s a different animal,” an anonymous executive told Nightengale. “It just takes awhile to get acclimated. He’ll be alright.”
As the Yankees look to return to the World Series this season, they can hope a reset pushes Williams back to his shutdown form.
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)