There is no timeline for Devin Williams to return to the Yankees’ closer role.
But manager Aaron Boone likes what he’s seen from the right-handed reliever of late.
Williams fired another scoreless inning in Friday night’s 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, needing only eight pitches to get through a 1-2-3 top of the eighth.
That gave Williams three scoreless innings in three appearances since Boone removed him from closing duties to work through his early-season struggles.
“It’s been good to get him right back in there and pitching in leverage situations,” Boone said after Friday’s series-opening win in the Bronx.
“I like how he’s getting after the strike zone, doing a good job of mixing [his] fastball with the great changeup. So, yeah, I’ve been really encouraged. You go through a tough stretch, and getting right back in there, it’s not easy. I feel like he’s throwing the ball well.”
Friday marked Williams’ first appearance at Yankee Stadium since April 25, when he surrendered three runs without recording an out in the ninth inning of a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Later that weekend, Boone announced he was taking Williams out of the closer role “for right now.” At the time, Williams was 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA, four saves and one blown save.
“It’s really just reps, getting into that mid-season form,” Williams said last Sunday. “I always kind of start a little slow. The only year that I haven’t was the year that I played in the [World Baseball Classic], so I had to lock in a lot earlier that year. But, yeah, it’s just getting reps and game reps.”
Luke Weaver, who entered Saturday with a 0.00 ERA in 13 appearances, pitched a scoreless ninth on Friday for his third save.
The Yankees acquired Williams in an offseason trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin. Williams is a two-time National League Reliever of the Year, a two-time All-Star and has posted a sub-2.00 ERA in each of the last three seasons.
“As I’ve said, the guy’s great, and that didn’t go away because he had a couple of bad outings in a new environment,” Boone said.
Boone has continued to deploy Williams in important situations.
Williams pitched the eighth inning on Monday and the seventh inning on Wednesday, with the Yankees down by one run to the Orioles in Baltimore in both games.
He protected a three-run lead in Friday’s win to pick up his first hold.
Williams did not allow a hit in any of those three outings.
“It’s just about getting more consistent in the strike zone, which he’s done, and I feel like now he’s starting to stack some outings,” Boone said. “Hopefully [he’ll] just continue to stack those outings.”
NEW NO. 1
For the first time this season, Cody Bellinger found himself in the Yankees’ leadoff spot.
The lefty-swinging Bellinger was atop the order on Saturday with Rays right-hander Zack Littell on the mound and Trent Grisham getting the day off.
“Somebody’s got to go there,” Boone said. “I kind of like [Ben] Rice in there behind [Aaron] Judge right now. [Bellinger has] done it in the past. Hopefully he can set a tone for us today.”
Saturday marked Bellinger’s third career start in the leadoff spot. He has primarily hit second or third with the Yankees but has now started in each of the first five spots in the order.
Bellinger became the fifth player to lead off for the Yankees this year, joining Grisham, Rice, Paul Goldschmidt and Austin Wells.
LEMAHIEU LATEST
DJ LeMahieu resumed his rehab assignment on Friday night, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run with Double-A Somerset.
It was the first rehab game since Sunday for LeMahieu, who on Tuesday received a cortisone shot in his hip.
LeMahieu is on the injured list for a calf strain that he suffered in spring training. He received the shot in his hip to “preemptively” treat something he felt may have been coming on, according to Boone.
The veteran infielder is now 6-for-13 with a home run and three RBI in five rehab games at Double-A. Boone said he does not have a timeline for LeMahieu’s return to the Yankees.
