TAMPA, Fla. — Once the New York Yankees re-signed Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham this offseason, it muddied Jasson Domínguez’s short- and long-term outlook with the club. He was a man without a defined role.

In the short term, Domínguez is slated for a bench job if he breaks camp with the Yankees. It’s a role that doesn’t make sense for the 23-year-old because he’s still developing. He needs to prove he can hit from the right side of the plate, and he needs to show significant improvement in left field. Playing sporadically could stunt Domínguez’s growth. But the reality is the Yankees’ starting outfield is set with Bellinger in left field, Grisham in center and Aaron Judge in right. Unless one of those players gets hurt before Opening Day, Domínguez is on the bench. He’s not supplanting any of them.

In the long term, there’s still a pathway for Domínguez to become a fixture in the Yankees’ lineup. Grisham will be a free agent after this season. If the Yankees believe Bellinger can handle center field next season, there could be a vacancy in left field. They currently don’t view Domínguez as a major-league center fielder, even though it was his primary position in the minor leagues. They could also have an opening at designated hitter in two years. Giancarlo Stanton has a club option in his age-38 season, and the Yankees could decline it if he has declined at that stage of his career.

But if the aforementioned Yankees are all healthy when the team travels to San Francisco for Opening Day, Domínguez may not be on that plane headed west.

“I would concede it’s in his best interest to be getting everyday reps,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Friday. “We’ll just have to wait and see how the spring shakes out, who’s standing, and then we’ll make the appropriate decisions when we have our meetings close to the end of camp. … There’s flexibility in the roster with a lot of players that we can do a lot of different things with, whether they’re going north with us or going to Triple A.”

Will Domínguez make the big-league team out of spring training? It doesn’t help his case that he’s essentially another left-handed bat. If he could be trusted from the right side, the fit could be seamless.

The Yankees could use a right-handed-hitting outfielder. On days they face a left-handed pitcher, manager Aaron Boone could slide Bellinger to center, bench Grisham (who had an 88 wRC+ versus lefties last season) and play that theoretical righty in left field. But Domínguez isn’t that player, which means it’s difficult to find a spot for him.

Cashman said he’s “not closing any doors on right-handed bats,” and that the roster could change because “it’s never pencils down until the trade deadline ends.” The Athletic reported that the Yankees offered a major-league contract to Austin Slater, a righty-hitting outfielder; Slater has since joined the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees have also expressed interest in Randal Grichuk, who has a 118 career wRC+ against lefties. If they do import a righty outfielder, it becomes nearly impossible to envision any scenario where Domínguez isn’t in Triple A to start the season, if everyone is healthy.

The Yankees could have sent Domínguez down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season when he was reduced to coming off the bench, but they chose not to because there “was a definitive role” for him. With them now changing their stance by acknowledging it would be best for him to play every day, it’s more likely that he will be in Triple A.

“If everything stays the same, we’ll be forced to determine what’s our best course of action to help this team be impactful,” Cashman said.

New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez, a much-hyped prospect as a teenager, may not have a natural spot in the lineup this season. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

If Domínguez is in Triple A and the Yankees do not acquire another established outfielder, they could use Amed Rosario or Oswaldo Cabrera as a fourth outfielder. Rosario was spotted getting reps with Judge in the outfield on Thursday. Cabrera has previous experience in both left and right field, and his defensive versatility gives him an edge over Domínguez.

Even if the Yankees opt to have Domínguez start the season in the minors, it doesn’t mean it’s a career-defining decision. Domínguez had a 116 wRC+ against right-handed pitching last season in his age-22 season. His underlying metrics from the left side of the plate are strong and a good foundation for a player with his experience. Questions will, of course, emerge if the end result is another Yankees top prospect not reaching his full potential. But it’s still too early for verdicts.

If Domínguez can show he’s improved defensively and better from the right side of the plate, he can still be a quality major leaguer. He’ll likely never fulfill the hype he had as a teenager after being nicknamed “The Martian” and likened to Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout, but there’s no reason to give up on him.

But given how the 2026 Yankees are constructed, it’s obvious there isn’t a lane for Domínguez to be an everyday big leaguer.

“Clearly, we’ll have to make some decisions at the end of camp,” Cashman said. “Sometimes, those decisions get made for us when injuries occur. I guess we’ll wait and see how the spring plays out and do what’s best for us when (it’s time) to set the roster.”