What began as a sore oblique last season for Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy turned into a three-month stint on the injured list.

As he was sidelined, dark thoughts crept in.

“When you’re in month three of not playing, and nothing’s getting better, you’re starting to have thoughts in your head,” Muncy said to the LA Times. “Like, ‘Is this my body telling me that you just can’t do this anymore?’ That was a tough one for me.”

Finally, a chiropractor cracked the code and found a displaced rib was the culprit of Muncy’s issue. He was back in the lineup by August and flourished.

Muncy delivered a .925 OPS late in the season before becoming a pivotal part of the team’s World Series push, notably setting a record by reaching base 12 consecutive times during the National League Championship Series.

When Muncy looked back on 2024, there were two big takeaways from his time on the IL: He is confident in his abilities and he needed to tweak his mentality.

“The injury kind of gave me a new light,” Muncy said. “It’s always been a blessing to be out there and play this game. But when you start reaching a point last year where you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to come back at all, you start really being grateful for the opportunities you have to be out there.”

“It’s just one of those things,” he added, “where you’re gonna appreciate it a little bit more.”

With his oblique nearly healed — an injury that also affected him during the playoffs and required pain medication before most games — he has turned his attention to fine-tuning his powerful swing mechanics.

As of Friday, he had reached base in eight of his first 11 Cactus League plate appearances, recording a home run and three RBIs.

Now healthy, Muncy is eager to help the Dodgers in their pursuit of back-to-back World Series titles.