Yankees could stick with Devin Williams at closer after Luke Weaver return

Now is not the time for the New York Yankees to panic, but this team is struggling to find its way. The Bronx Bombers are riding a five-game losing streak behind an offense that has hit a serious rut, having gone scoreless in 29 straight innings.  

Aaron Judge, who is still the frontrunner for American League MVP, has come back down to earth, going 3/24 in his last seven games. The Yankees’ captain is sure to regain his rhythm sometime in the near future, but this roster still has some concerning flaws that will need to be resolved should it want to win the pennant again. 

One area of concern has been the bullpen, which hasn’t been horrible by any means, but somewhat inconsistent. Fortunately, Luke Weaver is set to return soon from a hamstring strain that has kept him out since June 1. The veteran reliever has been in All-Star form this season and gives Yankees manager Aaron Boone an interesting decision to make. 

Devin Williams has had a troubling first season with New York so far, but is starting to round into form. The two-time All-Star has been acting as the team’s closer recently, allowing only one run over 5 2/3 innings while converting four saves in four chances.

Therefore, Boone has to decide whether to keep Williams in that role or give that duty to Weaver, who has completed eight out of his nine save opportunities. In a recent interview with Yankees beat reporter Randy Miller, Boone disclosed his approach to this situation. 

“I haven’t gone into that full bore yet,” Boone said. “Like our six players for four spots, whatever you want to say, I’m filing that under a good problem to have. I love the way Devin is throwing the ball right now and I’m just looking forward to getting another hammer back (Luke Weaver) in the bullpen, and we’ll figure out what makes the most sense.”

Boone is probably waiting to see how Weaver looks upon his return to the mound, but it might be best to keep Williams in this spot should it boost his confidence. Weaver is comfortable being a closer or set-up man in New York’s rotation, so he should be fine either way. The Yankees, however, need Williams to become the player he was with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Overall, New York will likely need to add some extra arms to the bullpen and resolve its ongoing issue at third base before the trade deadline. This roster is still built to contend for another pennant, but some of its cracks have been showing over these past few weeks. 

With plenty of formidable contenders in the National League and a true juggernaut in the Detroit Tigers emerging in the American League, the Yankees need to be aggressive buyers at the trade deadline. 

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