NEW YORK — It is not working. The next time the New York Yankees have a lead in a save situation, Devin Williams cannot walk out of the bullpen.
The sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium loudly voiced its displeasure with Williams just two batters into his appearance Friday night, after George Springer led off the ninth inning with a single. A “We want (Luke) Weaver” chant echoed throughout the building.
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Williams’ latest outing cost the Yankees a win in their series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees led 2-1 when Williams entered, and after he faced the minimum three batters, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had seen enough. Williams allowed a single, hit a batter and gave up a go-ahead two-run double to Alejandro Kirk. The Blue Jays added an insurance run after Mark Leiter Jr. gave up a single to Addison Barger, and the Yankees lost 4-2.
After Friday’s low point — arguably his worst of the season so far — Williams has an ERA of 11.25. The Yankees cannot afford to continue putting Williams in high-leverage situations. Boone said, “We’ll see,” when asked if the club would consider lower leverage spots for Williams as he works through his issues on the mound.
“We’ll kind of talk through that stuff,” Boone said. “This is raw right now. We want to do everything we can to get him right because we know how good he is and how valuable he’s going to be for us.”
“We want Weaver” chants at Yankee Stadium tonight.
(Via: @YoItsJustCC)pic.twitter.com/tfnl6azLv0
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 26, 2025
Boone has managed the Yankees for eight years. That he is admitting to even considering low-leverage spots for Williams is a strong tell that he very likely has already decided a change is needed.
Williams continues to struggle with a lack of command and a lack of swing-and-miss stuff. His changeup and fastball are tracking to have their worst metrics of his career. The Yankees closer also has no idea why he can’t locate his pitches.
“Truthfully, I don’t know,” Williams said. “It’s something that I’ve been battling for most of the season. It’s getting pretty frustrating.”
The Yankees have an obvious candidate to close games as they figure out how to help Williams get back on track by switching to Weaver. He’s pitched 13 innings this season and has yet to allow a run. Weaver took over the closer role last September after the Yankees deemed it necessary for Clay Holmes to take a step back. Frankly, there were more positive signs that Holmes showed last season, even with him leading the league in blown saves, because he and the club could point to the high ground-ball rate, the high strikeout rate and lots of unlucky outings with soft contact. There aren’t any positives to point to with Williams. That’s why it’s not as simple as giving Williams the eighth inning; he needs to be in easier spots to build his confidence back.
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“He’s had a hard time getting count leverage,” Boone said. “He’s been behind a lot and that’s not a great recipe.”
Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. noticed Williams losing his confidence on the mound after he fell behind Andrés Giménez, so he called an impromptu mound visit to help refocus him. It did not help, but Williams’ teammates continue believing that he’ll eventually regain his footing.
“I have all of the confidence in the world,” Chisholm said. “That’s why he’s one of the best relievers in the game. I faced him before. I know what he’s got. I know the heart he has. Every day he goes out there, he’s trying his best to get outs and close out a game.
“It’s New York. It’s big. It’s a little different. I just went out there and told him, ‘Hey, this is your moment right here. Every game, the ninth inning, this is your moment.’”
ENTER KIRKY 🚀 @alejandro_kirk pic.twitter.com/B2dmVnQn4Z
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 26, 2025
Williams said he’s had to make a lot of life adjustments since getting traded to the Yankees in the offseason. Before he was traded, he told reporters that he thought he would be a Los Angeles Dodger. Since his first day with the Yankees, it has not seemed like Williams has been able to settle in quickly. When asked about his comfort in getting settled, Williams said, “Easy enough, as New York City can be.”
Given an opportunity to say if he feels like Williams is comfortable with all that comes with being a high-profile Yankee, Boone did not answer directly.
“I don’t know that I’ve looked at it like that,” Boone said. “We’re not even a month into this yet. Because he’s had some struggling outings, that makes it a little tougher. We’re all human doing this. At the end of the day, he’s great at this. I believe that will win the day in the end.”
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The Bronx can be ruthless. It chewed up and spit out Aaron Hicks, Sonny Gray, Joey Gallo and others in recent history. But even the great players have been on the receiving end of merciless boos. Giancarlo Stanton, with all of his postseason success, has been booed countless times. Even Aaron Judge has heard boos. Usually, players on the receiving end say that they are deserving of the jeers and that they’ll be better.
With Friday night’s crowd chanting for Weaver to replace Williams, he chose to tersely respond to Yankees fans’ frustration with him on the mound.
“Everyone has their opinions. … I don’t have an opinion on it,” Williams said.
It’s likely Yankees fans will get their wish the next time a save opportunity presents itself.
(Photo: Elsa / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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