With the return of Josh "Jackie" Donaldson, Yankee fans don't know which way to cheer

We last witnessed the Yankee debacle known as Jackie Donaldson on April 5, the day after Trump's indictment. We were hosting Philly. Third inning. Lead off batter. He launched a fly to deep right-center and - to his credit - ran hard. In the past, he'd been derided for standing at home plate - (It is high, it is far, look at me...) and watching flies die at the wall - and then get thrown out at 2B because of his hubris. This time, to his credit, Donaldson busted it. And to the delight of Yank-haters everywhere, he tweaked a hamster.

So, here is Donaldson's 2023: 

Five games, 16 ABs, 2 hits (.125) a HR and a million boos, a carryover from last October, when he totally crapped the bed. (In all of 2022, he hit .222 with 15 HRs.)  

Last time we saw Donaldson, he was First Runner-Up on the Mr. Yankee Shit List, behind Aaron Hicks. As you know, if something happens to the reigning apex pariah, the First Runner-Up must assume all ceremonial duties. Hicks is in Baltimore. Donaldson is the new whipping mule. And if Jackie disappears tomorrow, I can't think of a replacement. In generating boos, nobody comes close. 

This weekend, Donaldson will play against the Dodgers, though with games starting late, we might not get to boo the TV.  

Meanwhile, Oswald Peraza will continue punishing Triple A pitchers for his lost spring. Last night, he hit his 10th HR and went 1-for-5, lowering his BA to - gulp - .340. No misprint. Three forty.

Peraza, 22, is the future. Donaldson, 37, is the past. 

And yet, come Aug. 2, don't we all believe that Donaldson has a better chance of being a Yankee? 

Look, I get it that the Death Barge should give Donaldson one last shot. Until 2022, he'd had a fine career. Supposedly, last winter, he revamped his swing. He fielded 3B decently (though not necessarily better than DJ.)  If he hits, presumably, the Yankees could demand more for him in a trade. 

Therein lies the rub... 

No matter what Donaldson does over the next two months, his lead-infused contract will still crush whatever trade value he might have. If he hits, the front office will still be more likely to keep him and trade Peraza -with Estevan Florial, who is also having a banger season at Scranton. 

To get anything, they must deal players that other teams actually covet. And nobody wants Donaldson's contract. 

In theory, the best thing that could happen to the Yankees might be Donaldson going 0-for-30 and being banished to Ellsburian Double-Secret Probation. Otherwise, they might end up doing what no other team in baseball - or all of sports, for that matter - would do: 

Keep the 37 year-old, and trade the 22 year-old.

Insert sigh here.

Believe it or not, I'm rooting for Donaldson. We're on the edge of a pennant race, and our roster - aka The Glass Menagerie - is a broken turnstile of tweaked gonads. Someone's something will snap, and maybe Peraza will get his chance. 

But the Yankees don't change their ways. If they think Donaldson can play 3B, Peraza's future is in Oakland or KC. And it's sad that we even have to think about such possibilities.