Trevor Williams signed a two-year, $13 million contract with DC earlier this year and is off to a strong start in his second season. The 32-year-old right-hander (5-0) posted a 2.22 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 16 walks, 47 strikeouts and 2 home runs allowed (After giving up a National League-high 34 runs and 144 runs in 30 starts, 1⁄3 Innings in 2023), and against starts of 11 or more games and 56 or more games, he hit .221/.272/.299. 2⁄3 He pitched six innings but was placed on the disabled list on June 4 due to a right flexor strain.
Williams returned to the starting lineup against the Nationals after making two rehab appearances earlier this month. Cubs Friday afternoon.
“He says he feels good,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters, explaining that the veteran starter’s return gives the team the opportunity to use as many as six pitchers late in the game and allow them to rest some of their younger pitchers.
“[Williams will] If we get a chance to start, we have a chance to push them back a little bit.”
And considering Williams is set to become a free agent again this winter, are there any other benefits to returning to pitch in the major leagues?
“First of all, this is his free agent year,” Martinez said.
“Secondly, he’s back on a major league mound and playing in games after working his way back up. And he’s had a really good first few months. We’ve missed him.”
Photo: Quinn Harris/Getty Images
“He’s a veteran, he gave us innings and pitched really well.
“Unfortunately he’s had an injury but now he’s working his way back and hopefully he can pick up where he left off and have a good winter.”
“It was all about getting him healthy and playing games by the end of the season, and he worked hard to do that.”
In fact, Williams looked exactly the same when he returned to the starting rotation for the second of four games against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, allowing just three hits (one of which was a home run) and one run in five innings as the Nationals lost, 3-1, but he also struck out seven batters, threw just 66 pitches, 46 of which were strikes, and, as a reporter pointed out after the game, threw just 15 strikes on the first pitch of the 18 batters he faced.
“I really hope that young players get to see him pitch,” Martinez said.
“There’s a lot to learn from his game. To be able to get past hitters and get outs quickly like he does, that’s what we’re looking for.”
Williams had 13 strikeouts (seven by the sweeper) and five called strikes in the game.
“He pitched great. He pitched really well. It was like he never missed a beat, it was great. He pitched five strong innings. I watched the fifth inning and I talked to him and he said exactly what I saw. [emptied] tank.
“It was a bit of a hot day but he was fantastic. I’m really proud of him.”
Williams gave up a home run to the second batter, but then went 14 out of 16 at-bats and pitched the entire five innings, making a smooth return to the starting lineup.
“He got right back to his normal self, right? He kept the ball low most of the time. He got it up when he needed to, but he kept it all low most of the time,” Martinez said.
“His slider was good, his changeup was really good, his sinker was good. When he can drop the ball in the zone like that, it’s hard to hit because of the speed changes.”
“I wish I could have come back sooner and contributed more to the team,” Williams said. Quote from MASN’s Mark ZuckermanAfter the game, he thanked the training staff for their support and for helping him get back to the majors.
“Everything was going well. If we’d missed one ball out of this game, the game would have been completely different. I’m just grateful that I was able to go out there and give my team a chance to win.”
“My biggest concern with him was that he was healthy and I knew he was going to be healthy when he left here,” Martinez added. “He can start his winter program. I know he’s going to be a free agent, but it’s good for other teams to have him healthy and, honestly, it’s good for us to see him healthy and going out and competing like he normally does.”
