No worry, not with a solution like this.
yes, you don’t do anything with the ball screw so travel stays the same and you don’t change the stepper so the steps stay the same too. You just put in a shaft extension bar (see image below, at the bottom of image) with a second coupler that allows the stepper to be further away. Just be sure that the coupler is matching the shaft diameter and sits tight. You also need four longer stepper bolts.
Shaft couplers are e.g. available here.