Devin Williams might return as Yankees closer sooner than you think
Devin Williams blew his third game of the season last Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, which had New York Yankees fans up in arms. Two days later, he was officially removed from the closer role, sparking further controversy in the Bronx.
Many have been wondering when (or even if) Williams would regain his job back. MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch insisted that he would, as this was “the plan” when the Yankees traded for him this offseason.
In truth, the decision to act as fast as they could with Williams should pay off. For everybody already anointing Luke Weaver as the ninth-inning man, it’s probably time to pump the brakes. Weaver didn’t see a lick of action against the Orioles in the most recent series while Williams got two innings of work.
Aaron Boone put Williams in the best possible positions, too. He didn’t make the appearances completely meaningless with garbage time, but he also didn’t thrust Williams immediately into high-leverage shortly after taking that off his plate.
Williams got the perfect mix of “these at-bats matter” but “you won’t be carrying the entire weight of the game on your shoulders.” And he passed with flying colors
Yankees’ Devin Williams could return to closer role sooner than fans might think
Two innings. Two strikeouts. Zero hits. One walk. Zero runs. Twenty-six total pitches. That is a massive departure from what we saw over the first month. Williams was typically laboring through each of his outings, unable to locate in myriad of ways.
Then came Friday night against the Rays when Williams entered in the eighth with a 3-0 lead. He threw eight pitches (seven strikes) in a quick 1-2-3 showing to hand the baton over the Luke Weaver for the save.
Is he fixed? No, we can’t quite say that. But he’s already shifting the narrative just a few days after he was hit with the harsh reality of his struggles. The goal is for the Yankees to get him back on track, have him feel comfortable, and make him their go-to guy in the tightest situations. It’s not to resign to the reality that he’s probably a seventh- or eighth-inning guy.
