Brian Cashman all but officially ended Yankees fans' Jasson Dominguez debate

What to do with Jasson Dominguez is one of the most pressing questions the New York Yankees will have to answer this spring. The outfield starters are set, with Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger manning the corners and Trent Grisham penciled in for center field.

The door isn't necessarily closed on Dominguez making the Opening Day roster. New York has yet to add a right-handed-hitting outfielder, which is so desperately needed, so someone needs to be there to pick up these reps. The Martian, as a switch-hitter, should theoretically fill that role if only he weren't awful against lefties.

So, without a clearly defined role, the rumors have started spinning. Could he be trade bait? Could he be sent down for more seasoning? Brian Cashman may have already given us the answer.

Brian Cashman admits Jasson Dominguez might not be on the Yankees' Opening Day roster

When asked about Dominguez, Cashman said, "I would concede it’s in his best interest to be getting everyday reps.” Obviously, barring an injury, that wouldn't happen at the big league level.

Dominguez dealt with a similar logjam last season once it became obvious that Trent Grisham wasn't going to cool down. Still, he managed 123 games and 429 plate appearances. He wasn't rotting away on the bench, but down the stretch his playing time got more sporadic as the Yankees worked out of the mid-summer funk and fought to maintain playoff positioning. Come the postseason, he was an afterthought, earning just one plate appearance.

New York likely could find a way to squeeze out another 400-ish at-bats for him in the majors this season. But would that really be for the best? Dominguez, like any young player, will benefit from more reps. The most beneficial thing is getting regular work in situations where he really struggles.

That means a steady diet of taking on left-handed pitchers. In the bigs, he'd be hidden against southpaws. Down at Scranton, he can take them on until it either clicks or becomes painfully obvious that he'll never be able to iron out that flaw.

Ditto for his defense. The 23-year-old is supposedly a center fielder by trade and has well-above-average speed, but he's been a trainwreck in left field. Playing two or three days a week won't get him to build upon these shortcomings. Playing five or six times each week might.

This is about more than just 2026. The pro-trade crowd misses the point that his value is at a low point. The "let him stay" crowd needs to understand that, by keeping him on the major league roster, you might be stunting him to the point where this is the finished product.

Sending him down is about what's best for the team today and tomorrow. Whether that be Dominguez rising above his deficiencies, or simply rehabilitating his value to the point where he can be flipped for something more useful, remains to be seen.

What the Yankees' actual concern should be is getting a real right-handed-hitting outfielder in here to take over the crucial bench role. Without that, Dominguez might still be a necessity, even if it makes no sense for all involved.