NEW YORK – From where Yankees manager Aaron Boone stands in the dugout, the depth on closer Devin Williams’s changeup is fine, but he needs to raise his level of command.

“I think it’s just as simple as that next level of strike throwing to where he is dictating counts and now he gets unpredictable with if they want to sell out on the changeup or the fastball that really plays for him,” Boone said prior to Friday night’s series opener against the Giants.

Williams, who missed time on the paternity list for the birth of his son, surrendered three earned runs in a win over Detroit on Wednesday. Through four appearances, he has posted a 12.00 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP. Those numbers are a far cry from the level of pitcher who entered the season with the second-best ERA (1.70) and strikeout rate (40.8) of all qualified relievers in the majors since the beginning of the 2020 season.

After the outing in Detroit, Williams allowed that he didn’t feel 100 percent like himself yet as a Yankee. Boone maintained that he is confident Williams will be able to find his form in short order.

“Making sure he is commanding that fastball to set everything up and then you will start to see the chase follow on the changeup, you’ll start to see the weak contact on the balls that are in the zone,” Boone said. “To me it is just a notch better with the strike throwing.”

With the Yankees starting a stretch of 13 games in 13 days, Boone noted that there would be plenty of opportunities for Williams to gain repetitions quickly.

“He’s our closer so you’re not just going to force him in too much,” Boone said. “Again, he is going to get through this. It’s just that next layer, next level of strike throwing. And once he does that, he will be in a good spot.”

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Kevin Armstrong may be reached at karmstrong@njadvancemedia.com.