Yankees Remove Devin Williams From Closer’s Role, Replaced By Luke Weaver
The New York Yankees have decided to make a change in the ninth inning moving forward, with Luke Weaver taking over the closer’s role amidst Devin Williams’ early-season struggles.
Williams, acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for left-hander Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin over the off-season, has been a shell of himself out of the gate this season, as he’s allowed 12 runs (10 earned) over his first 10 relief appearances, spanning eight innings.
That earned the two-time All-Star a whopping 11.25 ERA to begin his Yankees tenure, which has seen the right-hander issue seven walks while striking out eight. He converted four saves before being removed from the closer’s role, blowing one and recording a pair of losses.
“With the way things have gone, it’s not a shock to me,” Williams told reporters, including MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. “Being a closer is a position you have to earn and you have to keep earning it to continue to be in that role. I haven’t been doing that. It’s disappointing. You work for years to get to that point and you have it taken away from you. It’s not a fun feeling at all. I can’t say it’s undeserved.”
The tipping point for the Yankees came during Friday’s three-run, ninth-inning implosion against the Toronto Blue Jays. Williams failed to record an out while looking to preserve a 2-1 lead, surrendering a leadoff single and hitting a batter before allowing a two-run double from Alejandro Kirk.
That spelled the end of the 30-year-old’s night, who was charged with a third run after being replaced by Mark Leiter Jr., ultimately resulting in a disappointing 4-2 defeat.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has yet to reveal how Williams will be utilized now that he isn’t closing games. But he still believes the veteran reliever can regain his form as one of the sport’s most dominating closers.
“He still has everything to be great,” Boone said. “He is in the prime of his career and he is just going through it a little bit, and it happens. As I tell my players all the time, ‘You make a career just long enough, you are going to face some challenging moments, you are going to face some adversity along the way.’
“The good news for Devin is he has everything to get through this and come out better from the other side. That’s my expectation. Right now, it’s best for everyone to pull him out of that role and try to start building some good rhythm, confidence and momentum. I fully expect him to be a central figure for us moving forward.”
In the meantime, Weaver will be called upon to step into primary closing duties, just as he did after winning the job late last season from former Yankee Clay Holmes – who’s since converted to a starting pitcher with the Mets.
The 31-year-old righty posted 11 shutout innings with four saves over his final eight relief appearances in September, punching out 24 while walking only three. And he was just as sensational during the franchise’s run to the World Series, allowing just three runs over 15.1 innings – a span that featured 16 strikeouts and only a pair of walks.
“The ninth inning brings a different animal to it. You want to see all the hard work get done,” Weaver said. “At the end of the day, I think it’s a big league game. I prepare the same way. I try not to look at the situation any different. I need to get outs.”
The Yankees, who enter Monday’s slate with an AL East-best 17-11 record, should be in great hands with Weaver taking over in the closer’s role – even if it’s only a short-term move. He made his first appearance since the announcement was made in Sunday’s 5-1 victory over Toronto, retiring all three batters he faced in a spotless ninth inning.
For Williams to climb back into the coaching staff’s circle of trust, New York wants to see him stack consecutive strong outings on top of each other before he’s relied upon in high-leverage situations again.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: The Silent Wind of Doom. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.