The New York Yankees made a bold move this offseason by signing star reliever Devin Williams to a one-year, $8.6 million deal, hoping he would bring stability to the bullpen. But just weeks into the 2025 season, that plan is unraveling fast.
Williams, once slated to be the team’s closer, has lost that role, and now the Yankees are scaling back his responsibilities even further. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed this week that Williams will now be limited to three-out appearances only, cutting him off from multi-inning outings.
“He’s here as kind of a one-inning guy, and that’s what he’s done the last couple of years,” Boone told The New York Post. “I’m not prepared right now to send him out there for a two-inning outing.”
Williams, who missed a large portion of the 2024 season with a back stress fracture, has struggled to find consistency this year. His early April appearances were shaky enough for Boone to hand the closing duties to Luke Weaver instead.
Still, the veteran reliever seems to be taking the demotion in stride.
“I feel like the bullpen works better when guys are going one inning,” Williams said, per Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch.
Statistically, the move isn’t surprising: Williams hasn’t recorded more than three outs in any outing since September 2023.
Yankees’ Rotation Faces More Trouble
The struggles aren’t isolated to the bullpen. The rotation is also in flux after Marcus Stroman’s rough rehab start and Ryan Yarbrough’s injury added more uncertainty to the Yankees’ pitching depth.
Stroman, recovering from previous injuries, gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings during a rehab appearance for Double-A Somerset. Boone acknowledged the poor performance:
“Obviously, he got roughed up a little bit. The line wasn’t great,” he said. “But we’ll dig into it and figure out the best next move.”
With Yarbrough on the IL due to an oblique strain, Stroman is in consideration for a spot start — but the decision isn’t final. Pitching coach Matt Blake said the team is weighing options between Stroman and another candidate, Allan Winans.
“As a group, we’ll figure out what makes sense for us from an inventory standpoint,” Blake said. “We don’t know for sure what we’re going to do after this outing.”
Where the Yankees Stand Now
Devin Williams: No longer the closer, now limited to short stints.
Marcus Stroman: Rehab struggles put his return in question.
Ryan Yarbrough: On the IL, adding pressure to an already fragile rotation.
Next start: TBD — with Winans and Stroman the top candidates.