Leuenberger, 21, has not played since round three after being forced out with a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee.
His rehabilitation was then set back when he contracted a staph infection before flying home to recover from the operation at in Western Australia.
"Now I'm just trying to get fit and get ready to play," he told lions.com.au, ahead of round 20.
"There's definitely still a chance I'll play this year. I'm hoping to return round 21 or 22 through the reserves.
"I don't know how many games I'll need in the AFLQ; I don't really know what to expect.
"My strength and fitness is not really different to what it was before the knee injury and the staph and all that stuff, so there is really no reason why I can't play any different to what I used to."
Leuenberger said he would be back playing now if it wasn't for the infection that confined him to a hospital bed for 10 days after his April operation.
He had flown home to Western Australia a week after his surgery to recuperate with his family when it was discovered he had contracted the infection through the arthroscope holes in his knee.
"I was complaining about the pain but was just told to give it time, and when I got home, my mum said, 'You're not right' and took me in to see a doctor. The following day I was in hospital," he said.
"It became a full body infection after a few days. I was getting these really unpredictable fevers where I would go into a bad sweat and become quite delusional.
"The infection being in the knee meant it was really painful because there was so much fluid and junk in the knee itself.
"My leg was meant to be kept straight but because there was so much fluid, it was actually pulling my heel towards my bottom.
"There was so much pressure in my knee, it felt like it was going to explode."
Leuenberger lost 11 kg throughout the ordeal, and was sleeping up to 16 hours a day for three weeks afterwards.
He underwent a second operation to clean out his knee, had a drain placed in the joint for four days, and was treated with antibiotics intravenously for a month.
He was then on a three-month course of oral antibiotics, which he completed only recently.
The origin of the infection remains unknown, but there are links to the club as assistant coach Craig Brittain – who had surgery in St Andrews Hospital at the same time as Leuenberger – was also struck down with the bug.
"We've got no idea how we got it. It's a community based bug so it's pretty hard to put your finger on where you get it from," Leuenberger said.
"We'll probably never know."
He said the experience was one he was not keen to relive, or to put his family through again.
He is also looking ahead to playing a part in the Lions' September campaign alongside ruckman Mitch Clark, who has carried the big man duties alone for most of this year.
"I've been pretty lucky to never have anything too serious to happen in my life, and so that was probably some of the toughest few months I've ever had," he said.
"Now, I've put my weight back on. I'm not quite at 104kg yet, but I'm around 101kg, which is enough.
"I can't wait to get back out there again. It's really frustrating sitting on the sidelines watching the boys when they're doing so well.
"It will be great to just get out there again, and maybe play a part in the finals. That's my goal. My role would be to back up Mitch and help him out, which would be great."
