Let’s get this out of the way: it’s April. Pitchers are still shaking off the rust, hitters are chasing nasty pitches out of the zone and the standings rarely mean much until the end of the All-Star Break. But, for Devin Williams, the Yankees’ top bullpen addition this past offseason, the warning signs aren’t just about the calendar. They’re about the way he’s looked.

His most recent appearance came on April 19 against the Tampa Bay Rays, where he tossed 1 inning, allowing 4 hits and 4 earned runs while walking one batter on 22 pitches. The Yankees were leading 8-4 upon Williams’ entrance into the game for the ninth inning, but a couple of hard-hit balls and a noticeable absence of deception that has made the “Air Bender” one of the nastiest pitches in baseball. However, the start to his Yankees tenure hasn’t been about just one bad pitch, it’s been an absolute mess.

This outing wasn’t an outlier. It marked his second rough appearance in just nine outings this season, ballooning his ERA to 9.00 and raising real questions about whether or not there is too much pressure on the veteran reliever. His changeup hasn’t had its usual vanishing effect and hitters are laying off it more — or worse, they’re squaring it up.

Williams has been known for video-game-like movement and late-inning dominance, so this new version of him is catching fans off guard. He’s never looked this off to start the season. Yankees fans have been so used to “lights out” late-inning relievers that Williams was thought to be their new Mariano Rivera.

How worried should Yankees fans be?

On a scale from the classic “April jitters” to “hitting the panic button,” I would say this falls somewhere in the middle. The stuff is still elite, velocity is fine and there’s no clear injury. But, the rhythm and command are a bit shaky, which could lead to some trust issues down the road between Aaron Boone and Williams.

The Yankees brought him in to shut the door in the ninth inning. Right now, that door is cracked open; it’s not full-blown panic, but if the next few outings mirror the Rays debacle? The Bronx might start to feel like the door has been blown off its hinges.