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The Milwaukee Brewers have some disheartening news ahead of the start of the regular season. They will be without their closer Devin Williams until the midseason.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the star closer has suffered two stress fractures in his back and will reportedly miss three months. In September, he pitched through the same issue, but it's back this spring.
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Williams, though, is not the only pitcher to suffer a setback just ahead of the start of the regular season. Just a few hours earlier, another star pitcher, Gerrit Cole, felt discomfort in his throwing arm and will undergo an MRI, per Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
That prompted fans on X to react as the pitchers were getting injured just ahead of the season.
"Pitchers dropping like flies," one fan said.
"Why does that news get dropped before Cole’s? another fan said.
Here are a few other fan reactions on X:
More about recovery timeline of Brewers closer
Jeff Passan mentioned that Williams visited back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins, who diagnosed pars fractures on both sides of the player’s T12 vertebra.
It will result in Williams being unavailable for the next six weeks, which will go into his rehab, but Watkins expects Williams to make a full recovery.
Nevertheless, the development is a huge setback for the Brewers, as Williams is one of the best relievers. In five years, he has a 1.89 career ERA, best among pitchers who pitched more than 200 innings. His 39% strikeout rate, achieved with his famous "Airbender" changeup, ranks third.
In 2023, he finished with an ERA of 1.53 (0.92 WHIP) with 87 strikeouts and 28 walks across 58.2 innings pitched. He also earned his second straight All-Star honor and had 36 saves in his first full season with the Brewers.
A lot has happened in Milwaukee since last year. They lost their longtime manager, Craig Counsell, to the Chicago Cubs. The likes of Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader also left this offseason; and they also lost their president of baseball operations, David Stearns, to the New York Mets.
Pat Murphy, the new Brewers manager, will now lead the team through a tough season plagued by an early setback.
