GLENDALE, Ariz. — In the days after he injured his left elbow on a play at first base during the last game of the regular season, Max Muncy was asked if it was realistic to think he could heal fast enough to play if the Dodgers reached the World Series.

“I’m hoping it’s very realistic,” Muncy said.

It wasn’t and they didn’t.

Muncy’s absence from the lineup was a significant factor in the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series loss to the Atlanta Braves. And he admits now his injury was much more serious than he wanted to admit publicly in October. A tear in his ulnar collateral ligament – the ligament involved in Tommy John surgery – has taken all winter to heal.

“We knew the day it happened it was torn so we had to keep it immobilized for several weeks,” Muncy said Saturday after taking batting practice on a field at Camelback Ranch. “I had the brace on it. Then after that, it was just kind of breaking up the scar tissue and going from there. It took awhile. I didn’t start swinging until mid-January and even then it was really stiff and really – I don’t know if painful is the right word but it didn’t feel right.

“We’re still there right now, but we’re able to get through some swings. We’re able to get closer to normal. We’re definitely not there. But it’s one of those injuries that might not be back to normal until next year. Who knows? But we’re feeling good right now.”

The prolonged lockout that delayed the start of spring training – and will push the start of the season back one week – was a mixed blessing for his recovery, Muncy said.

“It’s one of those things where any time you can get extra rest is great,” he said. “But at the same time, we were locked out. I couldn’t work with our guys. I couldn’t work with our trainers. They knew exactly what I needed and I wasn’t able to talk to them. That was a little frustrating.

“I still got good treatment (from a physical therapist who acted as an intermediary). … It’s just one of those things where you benefit working with guys who know you and know how you work and everything like that. But the extra rest always helps. There’s no doubt about that. So it’s a yes-and-no answer.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was finally able to contact his players when the lockout ended Thursday, estimated Muncy is at 85% of the way back in his recovery. Muncy didn’t dispute the number.

“Well, today was my first day on the field. All I’ve been doing is swinging in a cage,” Muncy said. “Eighty-five (percent) would probably be a good estimate because you can never get full adrenaline in the cage. I can feel like I’m swinging as hard as I can, but when you’re in a cage there’s only so much effort in there. Today, being out on the field, maybe a little higher I’d say.

“We’re definitely not at 100 percent. We might not be 100 percent for awhile. But it felt good. … We’re making progress.”

Muncy will huddle up with the Dodgers’ training staff in the next few days and come up with a timeline for when he will start hitting against live pitching and when he might be able to get in games. But he did say “yeah, I think we’ll be ready for Opening Day.”

Where he might be playing that day is a multiple-choice question.

The DH has been added to the National League and Muncy took ground balls at second base briefly Saturday morning – options should the Dodgers sign, say, a free-agent first baseman who grew up in Orange County and recently won a championship with the Braves.

“I think he’d be pretty incredible in this lineup,” Muncy said of Freddie Freeman, who is being pursued by the Dodgers. “He’s one of the best hitters in the game. Just look at what he’s done over 11, 12 years, however long he’s been in the league. He’s been one of the most consistent hitters we’ve seen. Every year it’s the same exact numbers he puts up.

“He’s one of the best hitters in baseball. There’s really no argument to that. Any team would be happy to have him, especially us. He would fit into this lineup really well and we’d be extremely dangerous with him, that’s for sure.”

Danger will be on Muncy’s mind whenever he does return to first base. He acknowledged there will be a mental hurdle to overcome the first time a throw tails up the line and takes him toward the baserunner – the scenario that resulted in his elbow injury.

“I would imagine so,” he said. “I would guess there would be a little hesitation. You’ve got work through it and get over it. Things are going to happen and you can’t always control that. You’ve just got to get over the mental hump of being cautious of it and just do it.

“You can’t really practice that. Guys can throw it up the line all you want, but until you have a runner bearing down on you, you can’t practice that. If I’m being honest, that’s not something you want to practice anyway. Hit me in the chest. Let’s go with that.”

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The Dodgers announced a list of 21 non-roster players who have been invited to major-league camp.

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The list includes a number of players with major-league experience – pitchers Carson Fulmer, Jon Duplantier, Robbie Erlin, Sam Gaviglio, Beau Burrows, Bobby Wahl and Yefry Ramirez; catchers Tony Wolters and Tomas Telis; infielders Andy Burns and Eddy Alvarez; and outfielder Stefen Romero.

Also invited over to the major-league camp are top prospects Ryan Pepiot, Michael Busch, Miguel Vargas, Kody Hoese and Andy Pages.