Williams, a two-time All-Star acquired from Milwaukee in the offseason, must fix his command problems as a starter, away from the bullpen pressure crushing his confidence. Williams has never started in the majors, but successful reliever-to-starter conversions (Clay Holmes and Michael King) provide the evidence the Yankees must act now.
The Yankees engineered King’s successful transition to starter at midseason in 2023, with the right-hander delivering a 2.23 ERA in nine starts. More telling is ex-Yankee Holmes, who led MLB with 13 blown saves last season. Now starting for the Mets, he is 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA in seven starts.
The Mets viewed Holmes as an “under-the-radar” talent who needed a broader pitch mix after relying on just two pitches with the Yankees. Williams also throws a changeup and four-seamer but has experience with a slider and cutter — key components of a starter’s arsenal.
For Williams, starting provides a crucial psychological benefit: margin for error. Relievers live pitch-to-pitch, and one mistake can ruin a game and shake confidence. Starters can give up a few runs and still recover, rebuilding belief with each solid inning.
The timing couldn’t be better for a rotation experiment. The Yankees’ starters rank 15th in MLB in team ERA and a concerning 20th in total innings.
Gerrit Cole is out for the season, and Clarke Schmidt was recently scratched from a start. Plus, Marcus Stroman is on the IL, and Luis Gil is sidelined until at least late June.
If not for Max Fried’s brilliance (6-0, 1.01 ERA in seven games) and Carlos Rodon’s recent resurgence (.143 batting average against in his past five outings), the Yankees might be basement dwellers instead of clinging to their 1.5-game division lead over Boston entering play Tuesday.
Critics say the Yankees can’t afford in-season experiments. But the real risk is doing nothing and letting Williams keep unraveling in high-leverage spots or hiding an $8.6M arm in meaningless innings. Sending him to the minors would only wreck his confidence without fixing the core issue.
The Yankees must begin his transition this week, capping outings at two or three innings while ramping up his stamina. By mid-June, as the schedule toughens against division rivals, Williams must give New York five-inning starts when its thin rotation will need it most.
For Williams, the rotation represents not only a career pivot but necessary career salvation. For the injury-plagued Yankees, it transforms an $8.6M bullpen liability into a starting rotation asset — one that recent history proves can pay off immediately.
With their division lead evaporating and rivals strengthening, the Yankees must act now with the unconventional boldness. Williams to the rotation isn’t just an option. It’s their only viable path forward.
