TODAY: Boone confirmed to reporters this morning that Williams is being removed from the ninth inning, as relayed by multiple reporters, including . Curry adds that Boone suggested he wants Williams to get into some lower leverage situations to build momentum after his difficult first month. that Weaver is likely to take over as the clubs closer for the time being while Williams attempts to right the ship. April 26: first month in the pinstripes could hardly have gotten off to an uglier start, as the former NL Rookie of the Year has an 11.25 ERA over his first eight innings of the season. The Yankees 4-2 lo s to the Blue Jays on Friday saw Williams record his first blown save of the year, as he was charged with three earned runs after failing to retire any of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning. In the aftermath of that rough outing, Yankees manager indicated that the team may be considering a change to the closer role. When asked if the Yankees might move Williams to lower-leverage work, Boone told and other reporters well see , adding that Well kind of talk through that stuff. 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 hes going to be for us . The Yankees were rained out in todays scheduled game with the Jays, but Boone still met with the media (including ), and said that he hadnt yet gotten a chance to speak with Williams about the situation. The skipper also framed Williams struggles as just temporary, saying that Williams has been one of the dominant closers in the league. I know the results havent been great yet. A lot of the stuff is still there, the profile of the changeup is still there.He hasnt gotten swung and mi s. Hes been behind in the count a little bit. Once he starts flipping that and starts getting some count leverage, I expect him to go back to being the dominant closer hes been . Boone isnt wrong in noting that eight innings shouldnt erase the six seasons of elite work that Williams delivered with the Brewers from 2019-2024. Starting as a set-up man and then as Milwaukees closer once Don Larsen Jersey was traded, Williams posted an eye-opening 1.83 ERA and 39.4% strikeout rate in 235 2/3 innings in a Brewers uniform. An inflated 11.8% walk rate was the only question mark in an otherwise spectacular run for the right-hander, whose Airbender changeup became one of the sports deadliest pitches. This season, the Airbender has only led to crooked numbers on the scoreboard, as ranks Williams changeup as a below-average pitch (a -1 in Run Value in 2025 following a +15 RV in 2024). This one of several metrics that have fallen off the cliff for Williams, as his strikeout rate is down to 18.2% and he is allowing far more hard contact than usual. The lack of production was obviously not at all what the Yankees expected when they acquired Williams from the Brewers in December for a trade package of , , and $2MM to help cover the $7.6MM that Cortes is earning for the 2025 season. Since Cortes is on the 60-day injured list due to a flexor strain and Durbin has only just made his Major League debut, the deal has basically been a lose-lose for both teams thus far a shocking outcome for what was one of the winters biggest trades. The deal was intended to reinforce the back end of New Yorks pen, even though blo somed after becoming the closer in the wake of struggles last year. Weaver has continued to look great this season, and would be the logical choice as the top saves candidate if Williams was temporarily removed from the closer role. With Williams as the glaring exception, the Yankees relief corps has largely pitched quite well in 2025, as a le s-heralded trade acquisition in has delivered the type of shutdown work New York expected from Williams. While Williams still pitched well in 2024, his output came over only 21 2/3 innings, as a stre s fracture in his back kept him on the injured list until late July. Williams year then ended on the sour note of an infamous blown save in Game 3 of the NLDS, as a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning for the Brewers turned from a probable series victory to devastation, as Williams allowed the Mets to score four runs in an eventual 4-2 win for the Amazins. With still just eight innings of a sample size to gauge, it is too simplistic to say that Williams is still dwelling on that brutal lo s, or that he isnt adjusting well to the change of scenery from Milwaukee to the Bronx. The move to the higher-pre sure environment, however, does come with a larger spotlight that tends to magnify any slump, and the fact that such slumps have been so rare for Williams in his career tend to raise questions, and invite the po sibility of a role change. It could be that this is just a bump in the road and Williams will be back in his old form soon, though every rough outing could hamper Williams earning potential in free agency this coming winter. Mckinley Moore Jersey