An uncapped 31-year-old is now in line to make a shock Ashes debut against England next week.
Australian opening bowler Josh Hazlewood will not feature in the first Ashes Test against England next week.
The spearhead seamer is still suffering significant hamstring discomfort after being pulled from NSW’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria on Thursday.
7NEWS understands the 34-year-old reported consistent tightness to Cricket Australia on Saturday afternoon, with Test selectors now scrambling to finalise their third pace option for the opening match of the Ashes, which starts next Friday in Perth.
With Hazlewood joining skipper Pat Cummins, who was already sidelined with a back problem, it leaves Mitchell Starc as the only remaining first-choice fast bowler currently fit.
Scott Boland was already a certainty to return to the side in place of Cummins, but South Australian 31-year-old Brendan Doggett is now in line to join him in a shock debut.
Doggett and Sean Abbott were the spare bowlers named in the squad earlier this month, but Abbott has been ruled out with a hamstring injury of his own.
South Australia paceman Brendan Doggett is edging closer to a Test debut for Australia. Credit: AAP
Veteran Queensland allrounder Michael Neser is now set to be added to the squad as cover.
The news comes after Australian officials had initially been confident in the immediate aftermath of Hazelwood’s injury that he would be fit to play the series opener.
Doggett has taken two five-wicket hauls since returning from a hamstring injury for South Australia and is one of the form red-ball bowlers in the country.
“He’s been bowling really well the last couple of games from what I’ve seen,” Cummins said of Doggett on Wednesday.
“He’s really well placed to be vying for a spot in that first Test. It’s always nice to have a squad full of people in form and he’s certainly one of those guys.”
Meanwhile, Cummins said he was feeling well after bowling at 90 per cent on Tuesday in the SCG nets.
Pat Cummins is on track to return for the second Test. Credit: Getty
He is a chance of playing in the second Test at the Gabba on December 4, but the third Test in Adelaide on December 17 could be more realistic.
“(The Gabba) is what we’re building towards,” Cummins said.
“Hopefully by Perth I’m up there near 100 per cent, and then see where we’re at.
“It’s still pretty aggressive, going from nothing to trying to get ready for a Test match in four weeks. But we’re going to give it a good shot.”
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.