We’ve written on more than one occasion that the Yankees should consider batting Brett Gardner leadoff, at least against righties, even if it means batting Derek Jeter somewhere other than the first two spots in the order. (It’s not much of an issue now, but it could be when A-Rod returns.) But in the interest of fairness, we’ll note that, since he returned from his injury, Jeter’s numbers have actually looked a lot better. It’s not necessarily the biggest sample size (108 plate appearances, over the course of a month), but since returning on July 4, he’s got a slash line of .333/.380/.495, as compared to .260/.324/.324 before going on the disabled list. He has eleven extra-base hits in 24 games since returning; he had twelve in 62 games before he went on the D.L. (Last night, he had his second five-hit since returning — the other came on the day he got his 3,000th hit — and he’s just the second player age 37 or older to have two such games in one season.) It’s here that we remember that Jorge Posada, who is otherwise having a dreadful season, had a month this year where he posted an OPS of 1.007 (albeit in fewer at bats). But still, the more hot streaks the Yankees can squeeze of Jeter in his late 30s, the better off they’ll be.