Yankees' Aaron Boone Talks Possibly Removing Devin Williams As Closer Amid Struggles

After another rough outing on Friday night, Devin Williams could lose his job as closer for the New York Yankees.

Speaking to reporters following a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said "we'll see" when asked if he would keep Williams in the closer's role.

"We'll have a talk through that stuff," Boone added. "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."

Williams entered in the ninth inning with the Yankees leading 2-1. He allowed three runs on two hits and a hit-by-pitch before being replaced by Mark Leiter Jr. after facing just three hitters.

Friday was the first time Williams has pitched in six days. His previous outing saw him give up four runs (three earned) on three hits and one walk in a 10-8 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 19.

Even when Williams hasn't been giving up runs, he's not dominating like he did throughout basically all of his run with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 30-year-old had four straight scoreless outings prior to April 19, but he only struck out three of the 16 batters he faced.

Williams has an 11.25 ERA with nearly as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (eight) in eight innings over 10 appearances. The right-hander has allowed at least three earned runs three times this season, matching his total from the previous six years combined.

The Yankees' acquisition of Williams in the offseason was meant to add more depth to their bullpen after losing Clay Holmes in free agency. It looked like a nice move on paper since he has been one of the most valuable relievers in all of baseball since his debut in 2019.

While it's still early in the season, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned. Williams' average fastball velocity is at 93.2 mph, the lowest of his career and down one full mile per hour from 2024. His whiff (24.1 percent) and strikeout (18.2) percentages are down more than 20 percent compared to last season.

Boone does have reliable options he could go to in the ninth inning if he decides to make a change. Fernando Cruz has a 1.93 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 14 innings. Luke Weaver has yet to allow a run in 13 innings over 11 appearances.

Despite Williams' late-game struggles, the Yankees are sitting in first place in the AL East with a 15-11 record. They are two games up in the loss column on the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox.