Nationals' Trevor Williams: Stumbles against Marlins
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Williams gave up seven runs on 10 hits and three walks over 4.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins. He struck out four.
The veteran right-hander came into the weekend having allowed only three runs across three spring starts without having walked a batter, but little was working for Williams in this outing. After posting a 4.19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 6.8 K/9 over nine starts for the Mets last year among his 30 appearances, the 30-year-old is expected to fill a back-end role in the Nationals' rotation in 2023, but his fantasy utility will likely be limited to NL-only formats, or usage as an occasional streaming option.
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Nationals' Trevor Williams: Solid start to spring
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Williams worked two scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets, allowing one hit while striking out two without walking a batter.
The veteran right-hander threw 20 of 23 pitches for strikes in his second outing of the spring. Williams hasn't given up a run yet through three Grapefruit League innings, and with Stephen Strasburg (ribs) lacking any kind of timetable for his return, he's set to begin the season in the Nationals' rotation. Williams posted good numbers (3.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.4 K/9) in 2022 in a swingman role for the Mets, but he'll be a fantasy risk as a full-time starter on what's expected to be a poor team engaged in a rebuild.
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Nationals' Trevor Williams: Ticketed for Opening Day rotation
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Williams is expected to begin the season in the Nationals' rotation, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
The veteran right-hander signed with Washington in the hopes of returning to full-time starting duty after making 21 of his 30 appearances last year for the Mets out of the bullpen, and with Stephen Strasburg experiencing a setback in his recovery from thoracic outlet surgery, Williams should be locked into a rotation spot to begin the campaign. Whether the 30-year-old is best suited for the rotation is another question, however -- his FIP was nearly two runs higher in 2022 as a starter rather than as a reliever (5.00 vs 3.03), and he lost more than seven points off his strikeout rate (18.2 percent vs. 25.8 percent).
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Nationals' Trevor Williams: Will begin 2023 in rotation
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Williams said Monday that he'll be a starter in 2023, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Nine of the righty's 30 appearances in with the Mets 2022 were starts. With the Nationals, who have a far less impressive rotation, Williams will handle a more substantial workload. At two years and $13 million, he could be a bargain if he posts anything close to his 3.79 ERA over the last two seasons.
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Nationals' Trevor Williams: Heading to Washington
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Williams agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract with the Nationals on Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The 30-year-old worked as a swingman over the past two years and could fill a similar role going forward, though he could see more chances to start for Washington, especially if Stephen Strasburg (ribs) remains sidelined to open 2023. Williams started in nine of his 30 appearance last season for the Mets and had a 3.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 84:23 K:BB across 89.2 innings.
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Trevor Williams: Mets reunion possible
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Williams has discussed a possible reunion with the Mets, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.
Martino notes that the Mets are "not the only team in" on the right-hander, so it would appear they have a little competition. Williams, 30, pitched well in a swingman role in 2022, holding a 3.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 84:23 K:BB ratio across 89.2 innings.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Misses wild-card roster
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Williams wasn't included on the Mets' roster for the NL Wild Card Series against the Padres on Friday, Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports reports.
Williams delivered a quality start in the regular-season finale but unsurprisingly won't be in the rotation for the wild-card round. The 30-year-old had a 3.21 ERA and 84:23 K:BB over 89.2 innings this year and could receive roster consideration in later rounds as both a starter and long-relief option should the Mets advance.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Sharp over six innings
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Williams (3-5) earned the win Wednesday against the Nationals. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out six over six innings.
The right-hander didn't officially make the start, but he did handle the majority of the workload on Wednesday after replacing opener Mychal Givens to begin the second inning. Williams retired the first 10 batters he faced before allowing a one-out single to Cesar Hernandez in the fifth, who then came in to score on a homer from Alex Call on the very next pitch. Williams would only allow two more batters to reach base over his final two innings. He has not allowed more than two runs in any appearance since July 2, carrying a 2.83 ERA with 45 strikeouts to only 10 walks over that stretch. That run propelled him to a strong final line for 2022, with a 3.21 ERA and 84:23 K:BB across 89.2 innings.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: No longer starting Wednesday
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Williams is no longer starting Wednesday against the Nationals after Mychal Givens (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list to serve as the starter, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The Mets haven't given any indication that Williams is unavailable Wednesday, so it seems likely that he'll be an option to serve as a bulk reliever behind Givens against Washington. Williams allowed at least one run in each of his six appearances in September, posting a 5.14 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 14 innings over that stretch.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Gets starting nod for finale
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Williams is listed as the Mets' starting pitcher Wednesday against the Nationals, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Ace Jacob deGrom (finger) would have been in line to start the regular-season finale if the National League East title was at stake, but Atlanta officially clinched the division crown with a win Tuesday over the Marlins. As a result, the Mets will save deGrom for Game 1 of their wild-card round series with the Padres on Friday and instead have Williams eat innings in what will essentially be a bullpen day Wednesday. Williams hasn't made a relief appearance since Sept. 27 and should be capable of providing the Mets with a decent amount of length.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Back in bullpen
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Williams tossed 4.1 innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Nationals, striking out three while allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks.
Williams made his first appearance since Aug. 20, when he picked up a spot start in a doubleheader game in Philadelphia. The Mets have since condensed their rotation to five men and also returned Carlos Carrasco from the injured list Sunday, though he only gave them 2.2 innings Sunday before Williams was summoned in long relief. Looking ahead, expect most of Williams' opportunities to come in mop-up scenarios out of the bullpen.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Effective as starter
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Williams allowed four hits and two walks while striking out three across four scoreless innings in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Phillies. He did not factor into the decision.
Williams was forced into the rotation due to the doubleheader and also because Taijuan Walker (back) and Carlos Carrasco (oblique) are both unavailable. Williams has pitched primarily out of the bullpen this season and wasn't fully stretched out, causing the short outing. However, he was effective while he remained on the mound, holding the Phillies without an extra-base hit. If Walker can return for a start Tuesday as currently projected, Williams will likely shift back to the bullpen.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Picks up three-inning save
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Williams allowed three hits and struck out four in three scoreless innings to earn the save in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Cubs.
Williams has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen this year. Three of his last four appearances came as a starter, but the return of Chris Bassitt from the COVID-19-related injured list looks to have sent Williams back to a long-relief role. He excelled in that usage Thursday, throwing two perfect frames before escaping a bases-loaded jam he created in the ninth. This was his first big-league save, as he has far more experience as a starter than as a reliever. He's pitched to a steady 3.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 53:14 K:BB in 55.2 innings overall. With Jacob deGrom likely back shortly after the All-Star break, Williams looks likely to be in the bullpen for the foreseeable future.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Dominates Marlins
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Williams (2-5) allowed two hits and no walks while striking out seven across seven scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the Marlins.
Williams made his second consecutive turn through the rotation in place of Chris Bassitt (illness). Williams was excellent, as he allowed only one extra-base hit and also struck out a season-best seven hitters. Despite the strong outing, he's likely to return to the bullpen for the time being as Bassitt will be activated from the COVID-19 injured list prior to starting Friday.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Filling in for Bassitt again
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Williams is scheduled to start Thursday's series opener with the Marlins in New York.
Chris Bassitt (illness) won't be ready to return from the COVID-19-related injured list until the weekend at the soonest, so Williams will pick up a second turn through the rotation as a result. Williams most recently made his seventh start of the season Saturday against the Rangers, lasting just 3.2 innings while surrendering five earned runs on five hits and one walk.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Hit hard by Rangers
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Williams (1-5) took the loss against Texas on Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 3.2 innings.
Williams started on short notice after Chris Bassitt landed on the COVID-19-related injured list Friday. The spot start wasn't entirely new for Williams -- he has been the opener for seven of his 15 appearances on the campaign -- but it may have contributed to the poor outing. Of the five hits Williams gave up, four went for extra bases, including three that left the park. Prior to Saturday, the veteran right-hander hadn't given up more than two long balls in any outing. He now has a 4.34 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 45.2 innings this season.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Starting Saturday
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Williams will start Saturday against the Rangers, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.
Williams has filled a swingman role this season, starting six games and working out of the bullpen in eight more. He pitched in relief in his most recent outing Tuesday against the Astros, throwing 2.1 frames, but he's needed in the rotation again after Chris Bassitt landed on the COVID-19 injured list.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Struggles with long ball
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Williams (1-4) allowed three runs on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts in four innings, taking the loss Tuesday versus the Astros.
The damage on Williams' line came on a pair of third-inning home runs. Jose Altuve hit a solo shot and Yordan Alvarez added a two-run blast, which was too much for the Mets to recover from in this contest. Williams has bounced between the bullpen and the rotation, logging six starts in 13 appearances. He owns a 3.86 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 35:11 K:BB and a blown save in 39.2 innings overall. With Max Scherzer (oblique) nearing a return, Williams is likely to be ticketed back to a long-relief role soon, though he'll remain a top option on the major-league roster to make spot starts when needed.
The Mets list Williams as their starting pitcher for Tuesday's game in Houston, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Williams has made his last two appearances as a reliever, but with Tylor Megill (shoulder) recently returning to the injured list, the Mets will need Williams to step back in the rotation this week. After he makes his sixth start of the season Tuesday, Williams could be headed back to the bullpen. Max Scherzer (oblique) is scheduled to make a rehab start at Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday, and if all goes well, he would be in line to return from the IL to replace Williams in the rotation on Sunday in Miami.
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Mets' Trevor Williams: Looks set for bullpen role
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Williams isn't listed among the Mets' starting pitchers for their upcoming three-game series against the Brewers, suggesting he's been moved to a bullpen role, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Due to an off day last Thursday along with Tylor Megill's return from the injured list, the Mets got by with a four-man rotation last week that didn't include either Williams or David Peterson. Both pitchers appeared out of the bullpen during the Mets' three-game weekend series against the Angels, with Williams working in Saturday's 11-6 loss and tossing 0.2 scoreless innings. The Mets will transition back to a five-man rotation this week, but with Peterson set to take the hill Wednesday, Williams looks like he'll maintain a spot in the bullpen as a long-relief option moving forward.
