When Will Devin Williams Return and Be Back? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

Devin Williams took over as the full-time closer near the end of the 2022 season. He took the role and ran with it last year, recording 36 saves and a 1.53 ERA. The Brewers broke spring camp and headed to Milwaukee without a closer. Williams had a pair of stress fractures in his back.

The original prognosis had Williams out indefinitely. A report later in the spring suggested that Williams could return by the end of July.

Is that still a possibility? Let's take a look at the updates on Devin Williams and what impact he can still have on your fantasy baseball teams in 2024.

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Devin Williams Injury Update for Fantasy Baseball

Williams threw live batting practice in Milwaukee earlier this week and felt no discomfort. The Brewers announced that he will begin a rehab assignment on Saturday with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

REHAB ASSIGNMENT ‼️

3B Joey Ortiz and RHP Devin Williams will be playing for the Timber Rattlers this weekend!

Get Tickets Now:

🎟️ https://t.co/RxGHvwthXO

🎟️ https://t.co/uepPvUuGW0 pic.twitter.com/0jDomBVn8N

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) July 11, 2024

Closers don't need as long of a rehab assignment as a general rule, so we could see Williams back shortly after the All-Star break if everything goes well. What can we expect from Williams for the rest of the fantasy baseball season?

Devin Williams Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Just because Williams could return immediately after the All-Star break doesn't mean that he will. Trevor Megill has been outstanding place of Williams, notching 18 saves in 19 tries with a 1.53 ERA. His stuff isn't as electric as Williams' is, but we also know that Devin Williams can be dominant without being a closer. The Brewers are just trying to win games. They couldn't care less about our fantasy teams.

Before Williams became a full-time closer, he did things like this.

Milwaukee Brewers reliever Devin Williams' 0.33 ERA led to an ERA+ of 1375.

That means he was 13.75x better (‼️) than the average pitcher at preventing the other team from scoring.

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/wkASc1Z7at

— Stark Raving Sports (@StarkRaveSports) February 28, 2021

While his ERA+ stats haven't been as high since 2020, Williams still has a career ERA+ of 226. He has 60 career holds as well, so the Brewers may elect to ride Megill and not put as much pressure on Williams. Whatever the case, Williams will be a welcome addition to the Brewers bullpen and to your fantasy team.

Even if your league doesn't count holds, Williams will still be outstanding for your ratios. He has a career 1.89 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 214 innings with a staggering 337 strikeouts. He will help your fantasy team in some way down the stretch even if he doesn't regain the closer role right away.

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