Yankees Disappointing Reliever Has Great Showing After Being Removed From Role

The New York Yankees got a flash of brilliance on Monday night from their struggling reliever.

Apr 25, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts as he walks off the field after being taken out of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have had a turbulent first month in the bullpen after they made moves in the offseason which were supposed to provide serious upgrades.

After they made a huge deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for arguably the best closer in baseball in Devin Williams, the Yankees on paper had a scary bullpen coming off a huge year for Luke Weaver as well.

Instead though, Williams struggled mightily to begin his Yankees career and things came to a head after a blown save last week against the Toronto Blue Jays.

After Williams had posted an 11.25 ERA through his first 10 appearances in pinstripes, manager Aaron Boone had no choice but the pull him from the closer role and replace him with Weaver after a spectacular start to the year for Weaver.

The noise surrounding the possibility of the swap was too loud for New York to ignore and most agreed it was the right decision, at least for now.

Though Weaver has been great, the intention in making the move was described by Boone as temporary with the intention of getting Williams some confidence back and eventually moving him back.

Understandably, the Yankees want Williams to be their closer after they gave up a serious trade package in order to land him.

On Monday night in what ended up being a loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Williams got his first shot as a setup man in the bottom of the eighth inning and looked like the dominant force New York traded for.

Williams worked a 1-2-3 eighth with a strikeout, a groundout and a pop out and no balls that were hit extremely hard to give the Yankees a chance in the ninth:

Devin Williams works a 1-2-3 eighth inning pic.twitter.com/CM5JNXgAX3

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 29, 2025

Weaver has not gotten a save opportunity since the swap was announced, however he boasts an incredible blemish-free ERA and has allowed just three hits in 14 innings pitched with a 0.571 WHIP.

Not only this, but he has experience pitching for the Yankees in high-leverage situations, something which could be impacting Williams mentally in terms of the pressure.

If Williams can continue to show when he gets the chance that he is still an incredible pitcher, it will not be long before he is inserted back into the role of closer.

Monday night was a nice start in what New York hopes is simply a mental reset for the 30-year-old.

For now, it appears Boone's strategy is working, and it will be fascinating to monitor how the situation plays out over the next several weeks.