The Milwaukee Brewers‘ All-Star reliever Devin Williams last pitched on March 5 and is expected to miss “around three months,” according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The 29-year-old reliever dealt with a back issue in September that “flared up” again, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Curt Hogg. Team doctors told Williams there was no major injury. However, the pain Williams was in led him to seek a second opinion.
Williams had made two appearances for the Brewers in spring training games before he had imaging done. On March 10, manager Pat Murphy told reporters that Williams was dealing with back soreness, but imaging did not warrant concern, according to Hogg. However, a second opinion yielded a different diagnosis.
“Devin Williams visited back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins today, and he diagnosed pars fractures on both sides of Williams’ T12 vertebra,” Passan wrote on X on March 14. “Williams will be shut down for six weeks and rehab for another six, and Watkins expressed confidence that Williams would make a full recovery.”
Losing Williams is a big blow to the Brewers. Williams won the Trevor Hoffman Award in 2023 but now will miss a minimum of 12 weeks.
Devin Williams’ Importance to the Brewers
Williams is a two-time Trevor Hoffman Award Winner. He won the award in 2020 before winning again in 2023. Williams converted on 36 of 40 save opportunities and posted a 1.53 ERA. His 36 saves were No. 5 in the majors.
Williams was one of two All-Stars from the Brewers in 2023. The other, Corbin Burnes, was traded to the Orioles earlier in the offseason. He took over as the Brewers closer after the team traded All-Star closer Josh Hader to the Houston Astros in 2022.
Williams led all Brewers pitchers in ERA, ERA+ and SO/9. He led all Brewers’ relievers in WHIP and strikeouts. Losing Williams poses a question as to who will assume the role of closer on the team. Williams’ changeup, nicknamed the Airbender, is “a rare high-spin changeup that often looks more like a screwball, or a sweeping lefty breaking ball thrown by a right-hander,” according to MLB.com’s David Adler.
The Brewers were not initially overly concerned with Williams’ injury. The team thought he could make a “quick recovery,” according to Hogg, but now they must find a new plan for save situations.
Brewers’ Options for a New Closer
Joel Payamps was tied for second on the team in saves. He and Bryse Wilson finished with 3 saves each, 33 saves behind Williams. Elvis Peguero and Abner Uribe each also recorded a save. Wilson usually pitches in long relief so he is an unlikely candidate to assume the ninth-inning role.
Abner Uribe, who made his debut in July 2023, notched seven saves in Double-A last season before being called up. Uribe has the pitching arsenal to serve as a closer in the majors.
“The Brewers rookie reliever rode a wipeout sinker/slider combo to a 1.76 ERA and 11.4 K/9 last season,” according to Adler in a February 7 story. “The sinker, which he threw 61% of the time, averaged 99.4 mph with 14 inches of run. Nasty. But Uribe also has a four-seam fastball that can be even more overpowering: His four-seamer averaged 100.7 mph — the fourth-fastest fastball in the Majors — and topped out at 103.3 mph, a top-five max velo for any pitcher. Yet he only threw it 7% of the time.”
Uribe had a 30.7 strikeout percentage in 30.2 innings last season. For reference, Williams posted a 37.7 strikeout percentage in 58.2 innings pitched. Uribe may ultimately be called on to carry the load in Williams’ absence.
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