Devin Williams, acquired by the New York Yankees from Milwaukee in the offseason, has recently been demoted from his role as a closer due to ongoing struggles. Manager Aaron Boone has removed him from this position, expressing confidence in Williams' abilities despite his current challenges, which are particularly pronounced this April. Williams himself acknowledges the disappointment and the necessity to earn and maintain such a critical role, even admitting that his recent performance has not met expectations. Despite these setbacks, Williams has a history of being one of the top pitchers in baseball, and both he and the Yankees are hopeful for a return to form. The situation remains uncertain, with Williams eager to return to the mound and prove his capability once more.

Devin Williams, who was acquired by the Yankees from Milwaukee, has been moved out of his role as closer due to his recent performance issues, earning the new title of ex-closer.

Manager Aaron Boone decided to remove Williams from the closer role while expressing his belief in Williams' potential to return to greatness, acknowledging that such rough patches can occur even during a player's prime.

Williams himself finds the removal disappointing yet admits that it is not undeserved, as maintaining the closer position requires consistently proving oneself, which he has struggled to do lately.

Known for being one of baseball's best pitchers in previous years, Williams is determined to overcome his current slump, even though April has historically been his toughest month.

The Yankees remain optimistic about Williams' potential resurgence, with Williams expressing his readiness to return to action and regain his form as soon as possible.

Acquired this offseason from Milwaukee, Devin Williams now has an unfortunate new title in the Bronx.

Ex-closer.

The right-hander delved deep into what his issues have been of late, and how he expects to get back to form. 

“For right now, I’m gonna take him out of that role,’’ Manager Aaron Boone said of Williams. “As I said to him, ‘You’ve still got everything to be great.’ This is a guy who’s in the prime of his career and is just going through it a little bit. It happens.”

For Williams, the disappointment is plenty understandable. 

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

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“Being a closer is a position you have to earn, and you have to keep earning it to continue to be in that role. Lately, I haven’t been doing that.”

Although the prevailing sentiment for Williams is an understandable frustration, the former closer has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over years past. The Yankees certainly hope he can regain form soon. 

“I mean, I’d like to be back on the mound as soon as I can,” Williams said. “With the way things have gone recently, it’s not really a shock to me.”

Although April is typically Williams’ toughest month of the season, he’s never pitched this poorly. Time will tell if he’s able to get back into a groove on the bump.