San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle said Sunday he’s nearing a return to practice from a torn Achilles tendon, and he hopes to be ready to play in the Sept. 10 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia.

Kittle said he’s “very confident” he will be activated from the physically unable to perform list before Week 1, meaning he would not miss the season’s first four games. As for facing the Rams?

“I have a chance,” Kittle said. “We’re running around a lot, hitting top speeds. Hopefully we’re back in pads practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass.

“These next couple weeks here are everything,” he added later. “That will let me know whether I’m ready to play in Week 1.”

Kittle, who turns 33 in October, tore the Achilles in his right leg Jan. 11 in the wild-card playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles. He said his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, told him after the surgery that he had a chance to be ready for the 2026 opener, which added motivation during his rehab.

“It was pretty easy to light a fire every day,” Kittle said.

The seven-time Pro Bowler said he’s been hitting all his benchmarks for speed and acceleration numbers. He hinted he’d be back at practice shortly but declined to give a timeline.

“I’ve got to keep you guys on your toes,” he teased. “I can’t give you all your information.”

Kittle said he wants to practice in pads and build up his football stamina before Week 1. He suggested that if he’s not ready to play in the opener, he would stay behind in Santa Clara when the rest of the team takes off for Melbourne, which will be roughly a week before the Sept. 10 game.

“I don’t want my first time in pads to be in Australia,” he said. “Because I don’t think that would be a very smart idea.”

Kittle said he isn’t going to jeopardize the full season just to play in the opener.

“If you miss Week 1 and you play Week 2 — hey, it is what it is,” he said. “I’m just going to keep (Week 1) as my goal, and we’ll adjust from there if we need to.”

Still, he said his rehabilitation plan has been “very aggressive” from the beginning.

He was in a cast for roughly two weeks, and immediately after it came off, he was picking up marbles with his toes and doing seated calf raises. Eight weeks after surgery, he was on the golf course at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.

“That’s actually the first thing I thought of after I got hurt — this is gonna really mess up my golf game this offseason,” he said. “I actually played the best golf of my life. I was pretty excited about that.”

LOS ANGELES — Justin Wrobleski’s breakout year for the Los Angeles Dodgers is on pause, as the first-time All-Star landed on the injured list Sunday with what the club called left forearm inflammation.

Wrobleski, who broke into the rotation in April and has emerged as one of the steadiest arms for the reigning back-to-back World Series champions, has struggled since the All-Star break as he approaches a professional career-high at 126 1/3 innings. He surrendered a pair of home runs and allowed four runs over six innings in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, but he came away encouraged that his stuff and delivery were finally where he wants them to be.

“I think today I kind of figured something out a little bit,” Wrobleski said after the start. “With my delivery and with everything, I feel like I’m in a good spot moving forward, as odd as that sounds.”

Wrobleski averaged 96 mph on his fastball and topped out at 98.7 mph Saturday — both season-highs. But a concerning trend also continued: The two home runs Wrobleski allowed gave him 11 homers allowed in 26 innings since making his first All-Star appearance, a stretch where he had a 6.92 ERA.

Before the break, Wrobleski had a 2.69 ERA, emerging as a surprise story with his bullying approach of pounding the strike zone and a nickname, “The Shark,” bestowed upon him by Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez. Now, it’s up to 3.56.

The Dodgers and Wrobleski have downplayed the role fatigue might be having on his recent downturn. He previously threw 132 innings across three levels in 2024, and totaled 88 innings between Triple A and the majors in 2025.

Wrobleski said Saturday he was “feeling as good as I can right now.”

If Wrobleski makes it back this season, it might not be as a starter, as manager Dave Roberts said Saturday he expects Wrobleski to slot into a bullpen role this October — something he did during the team’s 2025 run.

Kyle Hurt was recalled in Wrobleski’s place. Sunday’s IL placement comes at a time when the Dodgers could use an extra bullpen arm. The club has been running a seven-man bullpen, with Roberts saying this weekend that “essentially all of our relievers are overworked right now.” A trip to Coors Field this coming week will provide another test as the team wraps up a stretch of 13 games without a break.

The team has an off day Thursday, and again the following Monday, meaning the club can still get its five healthy starters adequate rest while having a typical eight-man group in the bullpen.

Tyler Glasnow is expected to return to the Dodgers’ rotation after those two off days, as long as all goes well in his final start on his rehab assignment. Glasnow has been out since May with back spasms.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will not be joining Juventus this summer following talks between the clubs.

Earlier on Sunday, The Athletic reported Villa received a fresh bid from the Italian club for the 33-year-old, with talks reducing the price gap between the clubs and personal terms would not have been an issue for the Argentina international.

Juve, however, will not be proceeding with the move and will now turn their attention to other targets.

It comes as Villa have reached an agreement to sign Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who the club view as their first choice for the 2026-27 season.

Villa began pushing ahead with a deal for Suzuki as discussions over Martinez’s future progressed, and the Japan international is set to join the Premier League side regardless of Martinez’s future.

A five-year contract through to 2031 is in place for Suzuki, with the deal worth an initial €30m plus bonuses that could be worth €35m.

Martinez, who signed a new five-year contract with Villa in 2024, was also heavily linked with an exit last summer. Manchester United were in talks with him made a loan bid in the latter stages of the transfer window which was rejected. United ultimately signed Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp.

However, he went on to be a key figure for Villa once again last season, making 44 appearances as Unai Emery’s side recorded a fourth-placed Premier League finish and won the Europa League.

As a result, Villa will return to the Champions League in the coming season, while Juventus will play in the Europa League following their sixth-placed Serie A finish.

Martinez was also a prominent figure for Argentina at this summer’s World Cup, starting all eight of his nation’s matches as they were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the final.

He has made 256 appearances for Villa since joining from Arsenal in September 2020, and his departure would add to a significant summer of change, with Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne having all departed.