Devin Williams loses his job as Yankees closer after just 10 games with New York

NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Williams lost his job as Yankees closer after stumbling repeatedly during his first 10 games with New York.

Manager Aaron Boone made the announcement Sunday, two days after the two-time All-Star wasted a ninth-inning lead in a 4-2 loss to Toronto.

“With the way things have gone recently, it’s not really a shock to me,” Williams said following the Yankees' doubleheader sweep of the Blue Jays. “Being a closer is a position you have to earn and you have to keep earning it to continue to be in that role, so lately I haven’t been doing that.”

Luke Weaver, who took over as closer last September when Clay Holmes faltered, will get most of the opportunities to finish tight games, and he got the final three outs of a 5-1 victory in the nightcap. Weaver has not allowed a run in 14 innings over 12 appearances, holding batters to a .067 average (3 for 45).

“You never want to see any of that," Weaver said of the change. ”You want everybody to just dominate and do great in all facets of the game."

Acquired from Milwaukee in December for left-hander Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin, Williams is 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA and four saves in five chances, allowing his first batter to reach in half his appearances.

“I think it’s best for everyone that we pull him out of that role and just try and start building some good rhythm and confidence and momentum,” Boone said.

Williams will appear in lower-leverage situations.

“It’s disappointing,” he said. “You work for years to get to that point and, yeah, to have that taken away from you, it’s not a fun feeling at all, but I can’t say it’s undeserved.”

Williams was booed just 18 pitches into his Yankees career when he allowed the Brewers to load with the bases with no outs before preserving a 4-2 opening day win.

“When I came here in 2003 at the trade deadline, Mariano Rivera was getting booed in August. I couldn’t believe it,” Boone said. “I’m sure there’s some shock to that and like some, OK, get settled, he’s with a new team in a new environment. That’s all part of it. And my reminder to him is you have all the equipment to do this at an elite level.”

Boone informed Willams of his decision on Saturday, when the Yankees were rained out.

“He’s still got everything to be great, right? This is a guy that is in the prime of his career and he’s just going through it a little bit,” Boone said. “I tell our players all the time, you make a career at this long enough and you’re going to face some challenging moments, you’re going to face some adversity along the way.”

Williams was among the major leagues' most dominant pitchers with the Brewers from 2019-24, with a 1.83 ERA, 68 saves in 78 chances, an average of 14.39 strikeouts per nine innings and a .156 opponents' batting average. He has dropped to 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings and a .343 opponents' batting average this season.

Batters had a .097 average last year against his changeup, known as the “Airbender.” They are hitting .273 against it this season. Batters are hitting .462 against his fastball, up from .111.

“It's just a matter of conviction in what I’m doing on the mound and the pitches I’m throwing and sequences we’re doing," Williams said.

Weaver learned about the closer role last year, when he was 4 for 4 in save chances in September and 4 for 7 in the postseason.

“It’s intense, but you kind of welcome it,” he said. “You find out kind of who you are out there. You find out if you thrive in it, if it adds more pressure. It tests you in your mental capacity.”

AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, sidelined since Feb. 28 because of a high-grade lat strain, started his throwing program Sunday.

“Important step in the process,” Boone said.

Gil is on the 60-day injured list and is projected to return in June at the earliest.

Returning from internal brace elbow surgery on April 12 last year, 30-year-old right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga threw 11 pitches and struck out one in a perfect sixth inning on Saturday for Class A Tampa against Dunedin. It was the first rehab outing for Loáisiga, who could rejoin the Yankees in late May or June.

Veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu, sidelined since straining his left calf in his spring training debut on March 1, made a fourth rehab appearance Sunday for Double-A Somerset and is 6 for 10 with a double and a home run. He has been playing second base and will start to play third next week.

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