Devin Williams begins throwing program during difficult Mets debut season

Devin Williams has begun a throwing program, MLB.com reported, a development that points toward recovery from an injury that has colored his debut campaign with the New York Mets — a season Williams himself described to the outlet as having been "kind of been all over the place."

What happened

MLB.com reported that Williams has started a throwing program, which the outlet framed as a sign that he is recovering from an injury affecting his 2025 Mets debut. The piece included Williams reflecting on the season in his own words, and the phrase he reached for — "kind of been all over the place" — does a fair amount of honest work. A throwing program is an early-stage milestone in a pitcher's return process, not a clearance to pitch in games, and MLB.com's framing carries appropriate caution about where exactly he stands.

Why it matters

Williams arrived in New York carrying the kind of reputation that makes a bullpen feel different on paper. When a reliever of his profile spends a debut season navigating injury rather than innings, the operational gap is real and felt. A throwing program is the first formal step back toward the mound — the point at which a pitcher's arm begins to be reintroduced to the act of throwing in a structured, progressive way — but it is a beginning, not an endpoint. The distance between "has begun a throwing program" and "available to pitch in a major-league game" can be measured in weeks or longer, and MLB.com's report does not specify a timetable.

For the Mets, the timing lands in a particular kind of organizational moment. The roster expands from 26 to 28 players on September 1 under standard league rules, which gives clubs additional flexibility to carry arms and manage workloads down the stretch. Whether Williams factors into any of that calculus depends entirely on how the throwing program progresses — something the report leaves open.

Is Williams expected to pitch again this season?

MLB.com's report does not say. The piece establishes that a throwing program has begun and that Williams has been candid about the season's difficulty, but it stops well short of projecting a return date or indicating that he will pitch again in 2026. That uncertainty is worth sitting with rather than papering over.

Where the club stands

The Mets enter the final stretch of August at 64-78 (.451), sitting fifth in the NL East and 20 games back of the division lead. Their Wild Card position is equally stark: ranked 10th, 10.5 games relative to the cut line. They dropped their most recent game, arriving at Monday's series opener in Tampa Bay on a one-game losing streak.

The schedule ahead offers no particular comfort. The Mets open a three-game road series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Monday, August 31, with Robert Stock projected to start opposite Ian Seymour. Tuesday brings Sean Manaea against Freddy Peralta, and Wednesday closes the set with Justin Hagenman facing Griffin Jax. Three games in a ballpark that has hosted more philosophical debates about retractable roofs than any other venue in the sport — and a club that needs wins it has not been producing at the rate the standings require.

At 64-78, the Mets are not playing for October. They are playing out a season that has not gone as drawn up, and Williams's own characterization of his debut — "kind of been all over the place" — could serve as a reasonable summary of the broader year. That is not a knock; it is just the ledger as it stands.

What we don't know yet

The material leaves several things genuinely open. There is no diagnosis attached to the injury that has affected Williams's season — MLB.com's report describes the situation in terms of its effect on his debut without specifying the nature of the injury. There is no timetable for when the throwing program might progress to bullpen sessions, simulated games, or a potential rehab assignment. There is no indication of whether the Mets expect him to contribute before the regular season ends.

A rehab assignment for a pitcher, under standard league rules, can run up to 30 days before a club must activate the player or make another roster decision — but that clock does not start until a rehab assignment is formally designated, and nothing in MLB.com's report suggests that stage has been reached. The throwing program is earlier than that.

It is also worth noting that MLB.com's confidence in the injury-recovery framing is implicit rather than explicit — the report describes the throwing program as "suggesting" recovery, which is careful language and worth preserving as such.

What to watch

The most straightforward thing to monitor is whether the Mets provide any formal update on Williams's status as the throwing program advances. A progression to bullpen sessions would represent a meaningful step; a rehab assignment would be a more concrete signal about the club's intentions for the final weeks of the season.

Beyond Williams specifically, the Mets' bullpen situation over the final month of a 64-78 season will be shaped by the September roster expansion — the move from 26 to 28 available players that takes effect September 1 gives the organization room to carry additional arms and manage the workload of relievers who have been active all year. How Williams fits into that picture, if at all, remains the open question that his throwing program has just barely begun to answer.

For now, the desk takes Williams at his word: it has kind of been all over the place. A throwing program is, at minimum, a step toward somewhere more settled.