New York Yankees Star Said He Noticed Their Struggling Closer Losing Confidence

It has not been a debut season to remember for New York Yankees closer Devin Williams.

Viewed as a transformative piece for this team after being acquired in a trade over the winter, the two-time Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year winner has been awful this season.

So much so that manager Aaron Boone is mulling a change at closer.

Things really came to head in the opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday when Williams came on to secure a win and blew the save, allowing three earned runs before getting a single out in the ninth inning.

That put his ERA at 11.25 on the year, easily the worst stretch of baseball he's had in his career.

It's clear that the current struggles of Williams are affecting his confidence, and it has become noticeable for his teammates when he's on the mound.

"Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. noticed Williams losing his confidence on the mound after he fell behind Andrés Giménez, so he called an impromptu mound visit to help refocus him," reported Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.

The meeting didn't work, though, and Williams was tagged with the loss.

Having visible signs of lost confidence is never a good thing, especially for a pitcher who is supposed to come in for high-leverage situations and secure his team a close win.

This points to the fact that Boone almost has no choice but to rethink the role that Williams has coming out of the bullpen, moving him out of the closer role and even into a non-high-leverage spot for the time being.

While that decision has not yet been made, it likely will come at some point.

The hope is that will allow Williams to find his past form, becoming the shutdown reliever he has been throughout his career so he can produce at an elite level like he's done in the past.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is confident that will happen for the struggling right-hander.

"I have all of the confidence in the world. That's why he's one of the best relievers in the game. I faced him before. I know what he's got," the slugging infielder told Kirschner.