Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday in his appearance on Jomboy Media's "Talkin' Yanks" podcast that Williams will be the team's primary closer while Luke Weaver (hamstring) is sidelined.

EDGE Analysis

Weaver is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks after straining his hamstring while warming up during Sunday's game against the Dodgers. Williams was removed from the closer role in late April but has pitched well lately, yielding just two runs with a 15:2 K:BB over his last 10 innings.

Williams picked up the save Tuesday in a 3-2 win over the Angels, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks over one inning. He did not record a strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander was removed from the closer role due to early-season struggles but was called on to pitch the ninth inning, with Luke Weaver likely unavailable after working the previous two days. Williams saw his streak of eight consecutive scoreless appearances snapped by a Yoan Moncada solo homer and Jo Adell RBI, but Williams narrowly escaped with the save. The former Brewer didn't issue a walk against the Angels but has posted a career-worst 5.40 BB/9 through his first 23 appearances and 20 innings as a Yankee, contributing to a disappointing 6.75 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. While Williams filled in as closer, it's unlikely he reclaims the full-time role anytime soon, with Weaver sporting a 0.73 ERA.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that he has "no plans right now" to re-insert Williams into the team's closer role, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Williams was demoted from the closer role in late April but has gotten back on track lately, boasting a 9:1 K:BB over 5.1 scoreless innings across his last six appearances. However, Luke Weaver has notched six saves in seven chances for the Yankees and has yielded one run all season, so there's little incentive for Boone to shake up the back end of his bullpen right now. When asked Tuesday about regaining his closer job, Williams said "it doesn't matter right now."

Williams (1-2) came away with the win in Wednesday's extra innings contest against the Padres, allowing one walk while striking out three batters in a scoreless 10th inning. He did not allow a hit.

EDGE Analysis

With Luke Weaver being deployed in the ninth inning, the Yankees turned to Williams in the 10th to keep the game tied at 3-3. Williams struck out two of the first three batters he faced, and after loading the bases on a hit-by-pitch, he closed things out with a six-pitch punchout of Xander Bogaerts. Williams has started the season poorly with a 9.24 ERA across 12.2 innings, but Wednesday's performance showed a glimpse of what the 30-year-old is capable of when he's in form.

Williams earned a hold against Tampa Bay on Friday with a perfect inning of relief during which he struck out one batter.

EDGE Analysis

Williams' effort Friday was another positive step forward after a brutal start to the campaign. Williams threw seven of his eight pitches for strikes against the Rays and extended his scoreless and hitless streak to three games since he was demoted from the closer role April 27. His outing Friday was in a relatively high-leverage situation -- the Yankees led by three in the eighth inning when he entered -- and was followed by a clean inning by Luke Weaver, who picked up his third save. Weaver has been dominant all season, so there's likely no urgency for Williams to reclaim New York's closer role, but the latter is at least looking like himself again after posting a 11.25 ERA through his first 10 appearances prior to his demotion.

Williams struck out one batter in a scoreless inning in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles.

EDGE Analysis

Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Sunday that Williams was being temporarily removed as the team's closer after the right-hander gave up three earned runs in consecutive appearances. Williams got a chance to work in a lower-leverage situation Monday, as New York trailed by one in the eighth inning when he entered the game. He had little trouble dispatching of the three Orioles batters he faced, needing 14 pitches (nine strikes) to retire the side in order. If Williams is able to smooth things out and put together a string of effective outings, he could move back into the closer role in due time.

Manager Aaron Boone announced Sunday that Williams has been removed from the closer role "for right now," Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The writing was on the wall after Williams blew his first save of the season Friday against Toronto, which was the second straight appearance in which he allowed three earned runs. The right-hander has yet to truly look like himself in 10 outings with the Yankees and has an 11.25 ERA and 8:7 K:BB across eight innings. New York presumably plans to return Williams to the closer job at some point this year, but he'll need to right the ship in a lesser role before getting that opportunity. Luke Weaver, who took over as the Yankees' closer down the stretch last season, has yet to allow a run through 11 outings this year and could get the bulk of the save chances in the meantime.

The Yankees appear to be making a temporary change at closer after Williams squandered a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning Friday against Toronto, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports. "We'll see," manager Aaron Boone said when asked if Williams would benefit from moving to lower-leverage situations. "We'll kind of talk through this stuff. This is raw right now. We want to do everything we can to get him right, because we know how good he is and how valuable he is going to be for us."

EDGE Analysis

While Friday's blown save was Williams' first of the season, he has now allowed six earned runs in his last two appearances and sits with an 11.25 ERA through his first 10 appearances in pinstripes. Boone stopped short of announcing a role change, but Martino says there is virtually no way Boone would have answered the questions the way he did "if he hadn't already decided to give Williams a break from save situations." Luke Weaver took well to the ninth-inning role down the stretch last season and has pitched brilliantly so far in 2025, making him the clear-cut favorite for saves while Williams tries to figure things out in lower-leverage spots.

Williams (0-2) took the loss after blowing the save Friday against the Blue Jays, giving up three runs on two hits in the ninth inning. He did not record an out.

EDGE Analysis

Williams was brought in for the ninth inning to protect a 2-1 lead. After giving up a single and hitting Andres Gimenez with a pitch, Williams surrendered that lead when Alejandro Kirk doubled to center field. Williams was tagged for a third run after being lifted. Friday marked Williams' first blown save opportunity but the second game in a row in which he gave up three earned runs. He has an 11.25 ERA and 2.38 WHIP over eight innings, and more outings like Friday's could lead to a change in who takes on closing duties out of the Yankees' bullpen.

Williams earned the save after throwing a clean ninth inning in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

While he didn't record a strikeout, Williams put the Rays away on just six pitches (five strikes) Thursday. The All-Star closer has been shaky at times to begin his Yankees tenure, as evidenced by his 5.14 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 8:6 K:BB over seven innings, but Williams has still converted each of his first four save chances as New York's closer.