New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone isn't concerned about right-hander Devin Williams despite a rocky start to the closer's first campaign with the club.
"The stuff's good and the stuff will probably continue to tick up even a little bit," Boone told Talkin' Yanks on Tuesday.
"He's still really, really good and that's what the stuff is showing us. ... Devin's going to be fine."
The 30-year-old owns a 7.88 ERA and 2.13 WHIP through his first nine appearances of the season.
Williams was charged with three earned runs in one inning during his last appearance against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, resulting in a 10-8 loss in extra innings for the Yankees.
But Boone isn't concerned about the outing. He noted following the loss that Williams got a lot of soft contact and dealt with some bad luck after third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera committed a throwing error to set the stage for the Rays' ninth-inning rally.
"(Williams) had about as unlucky of one as you can have the other day," Boone said. "I know it's noisy early here in the season ... but break down the outing. ... I mean that's just not bouncing your way."
The Yankees acquired Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in December to shore up the backend of their bullpen after he posted a 1.83 ERA with 68 saves during the first six seasons of his career.
