BOSTON — 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 RBI in eight games. He is a .265 hitter with 177 homers and 534 RBI 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.

BOSTON MADE FOUR roster moves before its game against the Astros at Fenway Park on Friday.

Starter Brayan Bello was placed on paternity leave. He’s expected to be back before his start Monday here against the Rangers. Lefty reliever Cam Booser was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to take Bello’s spot.

Righty Brad Keller also was recalled from Worcester to take Cooper Criswell’s spot. Criswell was placed on the COVID list. The Red Sox planned for Criswell to start Saturday’s game against the Astros. They have not yet decided who will replace him.

Keller is a potential candidate for Saturday’s start if the Red Sox don’t need to use him in long relief Friday. Keller, who has made five starts for Worcester, last pitched Aug. 3. He was scheduled to start today for Worcester, which got rained out at Syracuse.

Manager Alex Cora said that Quinn Priester, who is scheduled to start for the WooSox on Saturday, is not a candidate to make the start. Boston acquired Priester from the Pirates for infield prospect Nick Yorke at the trade deadline.

TWINS: Minnesota placed starting pitcher Joe Ryan on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a significantly strained muscle in his throwing shoulder.

Ryan has a Grade 2 strain of the teres major, a thick, flat muscle that runs from the shoulder blade to the upper arm. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Ryan would be sidelined for “weeks to months” but stopped short of declaring him done for the season.

The right-hander, who is 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA, 23 walks and 147 strikeouts in 135 innings over 23 starts.

A BOOKMAKER in Southern California who took thousands of sports bets from the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani has pleaded guilty Friday to running an illegal gambling business.

Mathew Bowyer, 49, entered the plea in federal court in Santa Ana. He also pleaded guilty to money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return. He’s due to be sentenced Feb. 7.

“I was running an illegal gambling operation, laundering money through other people’s bank accounts,” Bowyer told the judge.

According to prosecutors, Bowyer ran an illegal gambling business for at least five years in Southern California and Las Vegas, and he took wagers from more than 700 bettors, including Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.

POSTPONED: The series opener Friday between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers was postponed until Saturday due to rain.

With the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby expected to bring torrential rains and heavy winds well into the evening hours – and tornado watches being issued for parts of New York State – the game was postponed shortly after 11 a.m.