The Yankees don’t know exactly where they stand in the arms race for Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, but they do know one thing.

They’ve made it further in this process than they did in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes seven years ago.

The Yankees have been granted an in-person meeting with Sasaki, general manager Brian Cashman confirmed Wednesday, which is a stage they never got to with Ohtani.

“He’s obviously a tremendous talent,” Cashman said of Sasaki after Max Fried’s introductory press conference at Yankee Stadium.

“I saw him pitch in person, but he was coming back from a rehab. I’ve seen, obviously, his videos over the course of time. I’ve seen his scouting reports come across over the course of time. He’s extremely talented, no doubt about it. He has a chance to be one of the world’s great pitchers.”

Sasaki, 23, is a highly coveted commodity after the Chiba Lotte Marines posted him last week. He is eligible only for a minor-league contract since he is under 25 and has played fewer than six professional seasons, thus classifying him as an international amateur.

Sasaki pitched to a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394.2 innings over four seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. He also stood out as a starter for Team Japan during its run to the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship.

It’s unknown how many teams have been granted a meeting with Sasaki, whom Cashman said the Yankees plan to visit with soon in California.

“It’s our one shot to separate ourselves,” Cashman said. “If there is, for instance, West Coast bias, the only way to overcome that is [to show] how we can help support him in any way, shape or form we can. We will be very transparent, and if that still doesn’t get us the player, so be it.”

Ohtani followed the same path to the majors but did not grant an in-person meeting with the Yankees or any other East Coast team before signing with the Los Angeles Angels before the 2018 season.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was 25 when he left Japan, allowing him to sign a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.

Last week, Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, suggested his flame-throwing client could benefit from joining a small-market or mid-market team after negative experiences with the media in Japan.

Asked if he believed he had a legitimate chance to sign Sasaki, Cashman replied, “All I can tell you is I appreciate having the opportunity to connect, and then after that, ultimately it’s an individual choice.”