The New York Yankees traded for Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason, but the move has come with some early struggles for Williams.
Williams picked up his second loss of the season on Friday and his first blown save. Fans were chanting for Luke Weaver to replace Williams just one batter into his outing. Williams has an 11.25 ERA in 10 games and has given up 10 earned runs. This is highly uncharacteristic, as his career high for earned runs in a single season is 15. Williams responded to the boo birds and fans desire to see a different closer.
“Everyone has their opinions. … I don’t have an opinion on it,” Williams said, according to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.
Fans will likely get their wish next time the Yankees find themselves in a save situation. The Yankees could be considering moving Williams out of the closer role, at least temporarily.
“We’ll see,” manager Aaron Boone said when asked if Williams would benefit from lower leverage opportunities.
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Williams is a two-time All-Star and two-time National League Trevor Hoffman Award winner. He has shown he is a dominant closer and can be the best closer in the sport. However, he is fighting his command right now, and the Yankees cannot send him out in the ninth inning until he figures things out.
“Truthfully, I don’t know,” Williams said when asked why he can’t locate his pitches. “It’s something that I’ve been battling for most of the season. It’s getting pretty frustrating.”
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