Devin Williams Reclaims Yankees Closer Job After Luke Weaver Injury

With Luke Weaver sidelined, Devin Williams is surging at the right time for the Yankees—poised to retake the closer job and become a high-impact fantasy baseball asset down the stretch.

New York Yankees relief pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after the top of the tenth inning against the San Diego Padres at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Winning in fantasy baseball is all about winning assets. Unfortunately, the tides of players shift quickly after injuries or due to underperformance. In the closing market, a lost nine-inning arm has a double jeopardy feel – my team takes a hit while another franchise most likely is rewarded by his replacement.

Devin Williams Early-Season Struggles, Luke Weaver's Rise

Earlier in the year, Devin Williams pitched his way to a setup role after allowing 10 runs, 12 hits, and seven walks over eight innings with eight strikeouts. On the positive side, he converted four of five save tries. 

As a result, the fantasy teams mining the closer-in-waiting pool held or drafted Luke Weaver based on his phenomenal run over the 46 days of 2024 (3-0 with a 0.92 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 33 strikeouts, and four saves over 19.2 innings). Their team structure and planning were rewarded by two good months from Weaver (a win, 1.05 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts over 25.1 innings). He secured eight saves over his nine chances, while showing minimal signs of giving up the closing job for the Yankees.

Unfortunately, a hamstring injury over the weekend will push Weaver to the injured list, kicking out one closing leg for fantasy teams. The latest reports suggest he’ll miss four to six weeks, making Weaver a challenging carry in any fantasy format.

New York Yankees closer Luke Weaver is expected be placed on the injured list after injuring his hamstring warming up Sunday night, sources tell ESPN. Weaver underwent an MRI and could miss four to six weeks, though the official timetable will be determined Tuesday.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 3, 2025

Devin Williams Redemption Tour

For the head-down, tail-between-their-legs drafters of Williams, the new dawn of him closing is here. He has been back in rhythm over his previous 11 appearances, leading to a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts over 10.0 innings, with his last save coming on May 27th. More importantly, Williams only walked two batters over this span.

Devin Williams, Ridiculous Airbender. 🛸

25 Inches of Arm Side Movement. 😲 pic.twitter.com/AmFkmU13nY

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 22, 2025

In shallow leagues (possibly still in the free agent pool), Williams still has plenty of work to do to correct his ERA (6.23) and WHIP (1.43). He looks poised to steal his closing job back and potentially locking out Weaver from the Yankees’ top ninth-inning role for the remainder of the season.