Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, as quoted by Wisden, ahead of the Perth opener, Butcher said that Labuschagne returning to his old, consistent ways is a “huge boon” for the hosts.
Former England cricketer Mark Butcher has backed Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne to bat at number three over all-rounder Cameron Green, saying that he has quietened his doubters and the latter is yet to prove himself as a viable one-down option. Before the opening Perth Test starts a week from now, a massive topic of debate will be the number three spot: whether Labuschagne will get his reward for the domestic grind or whether the Aussies will look at Green, who has also started to bowl, as a long-term number three option. So far in the Sheffield Shield, Labuschagne has emerged as a top-run-getter, with 402 runs in four matches at an average of 67.00, with two centuries and a fifty in six innings.
Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, as quoted by Wisden, ahead of the Perth opener, Butcher said that Labuschagne returning to his old, consistent ways is a “huge boon” for the hosts.
“The main thing, particularly in the batting, is that Labuschagne seems to have rediscovered what made him so prolific in the early part of his Test-match career by churning out runs for fun in the Sheffield Shield, which is a huge boon for Australia. I think they were loath really to throw in any of the other likely lads, none of whom have really set the world on fire in the last couple of years. So they were desperate for one of their old hands, one of their experienced hands, to quieten down the doubts as to whether or not he was still top class, and I think he has done that,” he said.
Despite backing from his captain Pat Cummins as a “long-term option” at one-down, Green has not been at his very best at the spot, with just 188 runs averaging 23.5 in eight innings, with a half-century to his name.
Butcher said that playing against the new ball in Australia is always threatening for an opener, and in such situations, it is important that Labuschagne, a “top-class top-order batter”, is at number three instead of Green.
“Playing against the new ball in Australia, you are always under threat of an opener getting knocked over early,” said Butcher. “I think in those circumstances, having a top-class top-order batter in Labuschagne batting at three is preferable to having him go in first and then having Green come in at number three, who is yet to prove himself as being a Test-match number three batter,” he added.
Marnus, after showcasing poor ODI form, was dropped from the ODI leg of the home series against Australia, but was later picked as all-rounder Cameron Green sustained an injury. However, he did not get a game.
The right-hander is without a century in his past 49 international matches, having scored just 12 fifties in 57 innings at an average of less than 30. His form has been even worse in red-ball cricket, with his last Test century coming against England back in July 2023. Since then, he has been able to muster just 668 runs in 16 matches and 30 innings at an average of 24.74, with seven fifties and a best score of 90.
Labuschagne playing at number three would also let 31-year-old Jake Weatherland get the Aussie Baggy Green after displacing a young Sam Konstas in the opening race, after the teenager struggled in the tour of WI with just 50 runs in six innings and had just one fifty in 11 innings in Aussie domestic cricket.
“I think having somebody who naturally opens the batting is always a good thing,” Butcher said about Weatherland opening.
“The interesting thing is whether or not they decide to go on the slightly defensive front which I think would be to play both [Beau] Webster and Green, with Green at three and have Labuschagne open, or whether Labuschagne bats at three which I think would be a preferable line-up for them with the 31-year-old new ‘fella’, Jake Weatherald, opening the batting on [Test] debut.”
“So in terms of the overall balance, that would be a preferable way to go. And the fact that they have picked Weatherald out of the pack kind of gives you the idea that that’s the way they are thinking, too,” he concluded.
Nathaniel Lowe is expected to be cut loose by the Red Sox this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
The Red Sox have some roster cleanup due this week, with Tuesday marking the date by which teams need to add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and Friday representing the annual non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players. Don’t expect Boston to clear a roster spot by cutting bait with a homegrown former All-Star starter, though.
At this point, Boston is unlikely to non-tender injured righty Tanner Houck, multiple sources said Monday. With a 40-man roster crunch coming, there was some thought that cutting bait with Houck was possible due to his current situation. Houck, who took home $3.95 million in 2025, is projected (by MLBTradeRumors’ widely used model) to take home the same salary in 2026, but is expected to miss most if not all of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. Considering the 2027 season is in jeopardy due to labor tensions and Houck is set to hit free agency after that year, the possibility existed that the Red Sox could non-tender (release) Houck into free agency to save a bit of money knowing he won’t be ready to pitch for most of 2026. But sources indicate the Red Sox plan to tender him a contract.
It’s unclear if the sides have talked about a creative long-term deal. Tendering Houck a contract would keep him under club control ahead of negotiations to avoid arbitration and set a 2026 salary later in the winter.
By Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, teams must add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from being poached in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox, who have a full 40-man roster, don’t have a long list of candidates but are expected to make at least a move or two. Right-handed prospect David Sandlin is a virtual lock to be added, requiring at least one 40-man roster spot to be cleared. Lefties Shane Drohan and Hayden Mullins, righties Yordanny Monegro (injured) and Jedixson Paez and outfielder Miguel Bleis are among the other potential Rule 5 candidates in the organization. If the Red Sox want to make sure any of those players aren’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, they can add them. Doing so would require spots to be cleared.
Any roster spots that need to be cleared for prospect additions need to be opened simultaneously Tuesday, which is a day when small trades are usually made throughout baseball. Therefore, the Red Sox could get a jump on the Friday non-tender deadline (set for 8 p.m. ET) by moving on from players four days early. The non-tender date represents an opportunity for teams to cut bait with arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players and send them into free agency. The Red Sox, unlike in previous years, could be busy on non-tender day.
The most obvious non-tender candidate on the roster is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026. That mark represents much more than what he’d get on the open market after a down season that included him being cut by the Nationals. Lowe will almost certainly be lopped off the roster but could re-sign at a lower rate as he tests the open market. Boston is anticipating the healthy return of Triston Casas next season and is looking to upgrade the first base position via free agency or trade.
The Red Sox have seven other arbitration-eligible players and are certain to retain Kutter Crawford, Romy Gonzalez, Triston Casas and Brennan Bernardino at their low projected numbers. Connor Wong, who is projected to make $1.6 million in 2026, is expected to be tendered after Craig Breslow gave him a vote of confidence last week. Cooper Criswell already agreed to a one-year, $800,000 deal for 2026, removing him from non-tender consideration.
In addition to Lowe, the Red Sox could cut bait with some younger players on the roster. Righty Josh Winckowski (projected to make $800,000) is a candidate to be cut from the roster, as is lefty Jovani Morán. Tough roster decisions might be made with the utility group of Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard later in the winter but for now, those players are projected to be safe.