Red Sox SS Trevor Story could return to lineup soon after having April shoulder surgery

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story is getting close to a return to the lineup after having what was expected to be season-ending shoulder surgery.

Story injured his shoulder trying to make a diving stop on a ball off the bat of the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout in Anaheim on April 5. About a week later, Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the arthroscopic procedure on the left posterior labrum.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Friday that Story will take live batting practice on Monday at Fenway Park.

“Trevor is swinging live, regular BP on Monday,” Cora said before Boston opened a three-game series against the Houston Astros.

Story has been taking infield for a while and Cora said when the team was in Colorado two weeks ago, it became a real possibility that the 31-year-old would be playing again this season.

The projected recovery time for the injury is six months.

“It’s a huge step, huge,” Cora said. “Where we’re at right now, I’m truly believing that he’s going to be a part of this. I just don’t want to give you a timeline and all that, because I don’t want to put pressure on him. But he’s putting pressure on us, which is the great thing about this.”

Asked where Story was fielding-wise, Cora said, “He could play nine innings tomorrow, defensively.”

The final — and seemingly key — step is working on things at the plate.

“He talked about getting a little bit stronger, the repetitions and the volume, all that stuff, the different shapes of the fastballs and breaking balls,” Cora said. “But I think that’s a big step. When I heard it today, I was like: ‘Whoa, OK.’’’

Cora said Story has been hitting off a tee and taking soft toss for a while.

Story is in the third season of a $140 million, six-year contract. He was hitting .226 with four RBIs in eight games. He is a .265 hitter with 177 homers and 534 RBIs over nine major league seasons.

He was limited to 94 games in 2022 by a bruised right hand sustained when hit by a pitch from Tampa’s Corey Kluber and bruised left heel. He played 43 games last year after having surgery in January to repair a torn UCL and didn’t make his season debut until Aug. 8.