Yankees' Devin Williams out as closer; Luke Weaver to get a shot - ESPN

NEW YORK — Devin Williams has been removed from his role as New York Yankees closer «for right now,» manager Aaron Boone said Sunday.

The move comes two days after Williams endured another rough outing and was booed off the mound at Yankee Stadium in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old right-hander has a 11.25 ERA with career-worst marks in strikeout rate (18.2%), whiff rate (24.1%) and walk rate (15.9%) in eight innings across 10 appearances this season.

«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,» said Boone, who informed Williams of the decision Saturday. «I tell our players all the time, you make a career that's long enough and you're going face some challenging moments. You're going to face some adversity along the way. And good news for Devin is he's got everything to get through this and come out better on the other side. And that's my expectation.

»But, for right now, I think it's best for everyone that we pull him out of that role and try and start building some good rhythm and confidence and momentum and fully expect him to be a central figure for us moving forward."

Boone said setup man Luke Weaver, who has a 0.00 ERA in 13 innings pitched this season, will assume «a lot of» the team's save opportunities. Boone maintained he is open to using Weaver in high-leverage spots earlier in games and other relievers to close games.

As for Williams, Boone said he won't have a specific role — whether pitching in low-leverage situations or tight spots just earlier in games — as he seeks to re-establish himself for a team with the ninth-best bullpen ERA in the majors despite his struggles.

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