Let's not kid ourselves: The Yankees have no option but to stick with their mainline players

Lately, shaky floorboards across of the Yankiverse have prompted blaspheme: Talk of an American Pie/Toyota Summer Event tankathon - a 2017 redux, with a fire sale of veteran players and their boondoggle contracts. 

For the moment - that is, after two wins over Tampa - the tortured wails will subside. If we can take, say, two out of three against Boston, we will have survived a week when the 2021 season suddenly -amazingly - seemed on the brink of disaster... on the third of June. 

We're not out of the woods. But Gerrit Cole pitches today, and if the game is a washout, he'll face the Redsocks tomorrow night, and we'll skip a reckoning from Wavy Deivi Garcia.

Whatever happens, the seven games against Tampa and Boston cannot bring a knockout blow. 

But over the last few days, thinking fans have recognized a terrifying reality: We are stuck with this lineup, and no Cashmanic cluster of trades can restart this franchise.

Optimists out there - you know who you are - can sing that, at times last night, only one Yankee was hitting below .200, and that was Red Frazier, who is red hot. Pessimists - aren't we all? - can mumble that we have no options. For example:

Gary Sanchez is our catcher, no matter what. He can get picked off third. Doesn't matter. He can chase passed balls. So what? Ever since Kyle Higashioka began to crumble - we saw it coming - all existential threats to Sanchez's career have been YES booth psychobabble. Gary is the starting catcher. (FYI: He is hitting .205 with 6 HRs - ranked 4th among AL catchers.)  

We can probably trade Gary at the August deadline. You know, shits and giggles. But why bother? We'll get a Zolio Almonte. We have nobody ready in Scranton or, for that matter, Double A. It's Gary. And as John Sterling says, he's scary.  

Giancarlo Stanton is the DH. Yeah, it's maddening to watch him rehab during critical games. What choice do we have? I suppose we can bat him ninth, as a show of disgust, but with Brett Gardner aging poorly and Mike Ford now conducting tours of the Anthracite Museum, who else can DH? Tyler Wade? Our only hope is that Stanton gets hot and then - somehow, and I know this is insane to suggest - doesn't tweak a gonad. Then, maybe next winter, we can package him in a trade? Or am I living in a Christmas tale? 

Move Gleyber to 2B? Nope. Stop doing this to yourself. You're scaring me. This talk about moving Gleyber: it's deck chairs on the Titanic. We have painted ourselves into the corner. Last night's lineup - with Aaron Judge in center - brought a collective gasp from fans. We have to wonder if his legs can stand the strain. But that's about as big a move as the Yankees can make. 

It's fun to speculate about trades. But here's the reality: We have no options but to the play the usual suspects. Luis Severino, Chris Britton and Luke Voit could be with us soon. That's the infusion. We must stay the course, for better or worse. And around here, we usually go with worse.