The New York Yankees could have a major problem on their hands.
They acquired Devin Williams in the offseason with the belief that they were getting one of the best closers in the sport. But so far, he hasn’t lived up to that billing.
In his first four appearances with the Yankees, the right-hander had allowed four earned runs, putting his ERA at 12.00 with opponents hitting .385 off of him.
It wasn’t a good start for Williams, and it called into question what his viability might be going forward.
However, manager Aaron Boone made his thoughts known on the matter, backing the struggling closer with a vote of confidence.
“He’s our closer … He’s going to get through this,” he said, per Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post.
The track record of Williams would suggest that’s going to be the case.
In his previous six seasons of Major League Baseball, he won two Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards while owning an ERA of 1.83 and an ERA+ of 231 across his 241 outings with 68 saves.
When Williams is on, he’s unhittable.
New York is hoping he can find that form for them at some point, and with the Yankees owning a four-run lead over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, Boone went to his closer in a non-save situation.
Williams flashed some of the dominant stuff he possesses, but it wasn’t easy.
He walked the first batter of the ninth inning before giving up a double to put runners on second and third with nobody out.
After that, Williams locked in with two straight strikeouts — one coming on three pitches — while inducing a grounder to end the game.
Boone still has confidence in the star right now, but how long that remains will be seen if Williams continues to struggle.
Until that point, though, expect Williams to be closing games for New York.