Yankees' Devin Williams: Temporary role change likely
Rotowire
The Yankees appear to be making a temporary change at closer after Williams squandered a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning Friday against Toronto, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports. "We'll see," manager Aaron Boone said when asked if Williams would benefit from moving to lower-leverage situations. "We'll kind of talk through this stuff. 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 is going to be for us."
While Friday's blown save was Williams' first of the season, he has now allowed six earned runs in his last two appearances and sits with an 11.25 ERA through his first 10 appearances in pinstripes. Boone stopped short of announcing a role change, but Martino says there is virtually no way Boone would have answered the questions the way he did "if he hadn't already decided to give Williams a break from save situations." Luke Weaver took well to the ninth-inning role down the stretch last season and has pitched brilliantly so far in 2025, making him the clear-cut favorite for saves while Williams tries to figure things out in lower-leverage spots.
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Yankees' Devin Williams: Blows save opportunity
Rotowire
Williams (0-2) took the loss after blowing the save Friday against the Blue Jays, giving up three runs on two hits in the ninth inning. He did not record an out.
Williams was brought in for the ninth inning to protect a 2-1 lead. After giving up a single and hitting Andres Gimenez with a pitch, Williams surrendered that lead when Alejandro Kirk doubled to center field. Williams was tagged for a third run after being lifted. Friday marked Williams' first blown save opportunity but the second game in a row in which he gave up three earned runs. He has an 11.25 ERA and 2.38 WHIP over eight innings, and more outings like Friday's could lead to a change in who takes on closing duties out of the Yankees' bullpen.
Yankees' Devin Williams: Tallies fourth save Thursday
Rotowire
Williams earned the save after throwing a clean ninth inning in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Rays.
While he didn't record a strikeout, Williams put the Rays away on just six pitches (five strikes) Thursday. The All-Star closer has been shaky at times to begin his Yankees tenure, as evidenced by his 5.14 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 8:6 K:BB over seven innings, but Williams is unscored upon in his past four outings and has still converted each of his first four save chances as New York's closer.
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Yankees' Devin Williams: Logs third save
Rotowire
Williams earned the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Royals, striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
Williams got the call to come into the ninth inning to protect a 4-2 lead. He needed 16 pitches (11 of which were strikes) to get through the frame, finishing things off by punching out MJ Melendez to record his third save of the season. Williams has not given up a run over his last three outings and has struck out three batters while allowing two hits and two walks in those three innings.
Williams allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning while earning a save against the Royals on Monday.
Williams entered the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead and had to work out of a jam to close things out. He put two runners on base with one out but escaped unscathed with his first save since March 27. Through six appearances as a Yankee, Williams has yet to deliver a perfect inning out of the bullpen. He owns an uncharacteristic 7.20 ERA with a 7:6 K:BB through five innings.
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Yankees' Devin Williams: Gets bailed out Wednesday
Rotowire
Williams gave up three runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Tigers. He struck out two.
Brought in to protect a 4-0 lead in the ninth inning, Williams instead made a mess of things before Mark Leiter had to replace him and record the final out for his first save of the year. While it doesn't go down as a blown save or a loss for the Airbender, it's still the third time in his first four appearances as a Yankee that Williams has been charged with at least one run, leading to a 12.00 ERA and 5:4 K:BB through his first three innings in pinstripes. The average velocity on his fastball is down slightly to begin the season, but he topped out at 95.3 mph Wednesday on a strikeout of Colt Keith, and the movement on his elite changeup is in its usual range. All indicators suggest that Williams' numbers will quickly return to normal once the weather warms up.
Yankees' Devin Williams: Activated from paternity list
Rotowire
The Yankees activated Williams from the paternity leave list Friday.
Williams missed this week's three-game series against the Diamondbacks while welcoming a new addition to his family. He'll be available to close as the Yankees begin a series in Pittsburgh this weekend.
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Yankees' Devin Williams: Back from paternity leave Friday
Rotowire
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Williams (personal) will be activated from the paternity leave list Friday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
Williams will miss a third straight game Thursday while tending to more important family matters, but he will be back to resume closer duties for the weekend series in Pittsburgh. The 30-year-old gave up one run but recorded a save in his lone appearance this season.
The Yankees placed Williams on the paternity list Tuesday.
Williams will be away from the Yankees for anywhere between one and three games while he welcomes a new addition to his family. He made his Yankees debut over the weekend against his former Brewers squad, notching a save Thursday during a rocky ninth inning in which he yielded one earned run on two hits and one walk wile striking out two batters. Luke Weaver could step in as the Yankees' interim closer during the team's three-game home series versus the Diamondbacks if Williams ends up missing all of those games.
Yankees' Devin Williams: Labors through first save
Rotowire
Williams earned the save Thursday after giving up one run on two hits and a walk over one inning in a 4-2 win over the Brewers. He struck out two.
The All-Star closer's debut with the Yankees was almost disastrous, as nearly blew a three-run lead against his former team. Williams loaded the bases in the ninth inning before recording an out via a sacrifice fly, and he then proceeded to strike out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich to end the game. Friday's team off day will provide Williams with a breather after he threw 36 pitches, but such a heavy workload early in the schedule could still affect his availability for Saturday.
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