Tim Elko makes his major-league debut with the Chicago White Sox: ‘A lot of hard work came to fruition'
Tim Elko carpooled to Rate Field on Saturday with pitcher Jonathan Cannon.
'It's nice to have him and some of the other guys in here that I've already been around a lot,' Elko said.
The familiar faces helped Elko get accustomed to his new surroundings as the first baseman prepared for his major-league debut with the Chicago White Sox against the Miami Marlins.
'Walking in (the clubhouse) and seeing the layout and everything and just getting a feel for being here is a pretty cool feeling,' Elko said.
The Sox officially called up Elko on Saturday from Triple-A Charlotte, where he was on a tear at the plate. Reports first surfaced of the move on Friday. In Saturday's corresponding move, the Sox designated infielder Nick Maton for assignment.
Elko is slashing .348/.431/.670 with six doubles, 10 home runs, 23 RBIs and 20 runs in 31 games with the Knights. He leads all of minor-league baseball in OPS (1.101), is tied for the lead in home runs, ranks second in slugging percentage and third in total bases (75).
'Obviously excited about the potential offensively and defensively,' Sox manager Will Venable said. 'And he also makes a huge impact in the clubhouse.
'He just is always positive. And works extremely hard. So, absolutely a credit to him for continuing to put in the work and it has paid off.'
The Sox selected Elko in the 10th round of the 2022 draft out of Mississippi. He has a career .293/.348/.495 slash line with 58 doubles, 61 home runs, 218 RBIs and 179 runs in 325 games during four minor-league seasons (2022-25) in the Sox organization.
'The goal was always to become a professional baseball player and play in the MLB,' Elko said. 'It was always in the back of my head. But always just try to be where my feet are. I always enjoyed my time at Ole Miss and winning a national championship down there and now it's time to help the White Sox win some games here.'
Since 2023, Elko ranks first among minor-league leaders in hits (344) and games (301), is second in total bases (578), fourth in RBIs (202) and batting average (.297) and tied for eighth in home runs (56).
'He's a competitor, he's played well throughout the minor leagues,' Sox director of player development Paul Janish said during a videoconference call last week. 'We talked about earning promotions, and that's what he's done throughout the minor leagues.
'Just can't say enough about the kid, the makeup of the player. And the numbers on the field speak for themselves.'
Elko, 26, spread the credit around.
'Just a lot of help from people around me,' Elko said. 'Got (Charlotte hitting coach) Jim (Rickon) and (Knights bench coach Angel Rosario) and (Sox director of hitting Ryan) Fuller and so many people to thank that have helped me along this journey and this year and just kind of getting me locked in on pitch decisions and what sort of pitches to do damage to.'
Elko earned White Sox Minor League Player of the Month honors for March/April after slashing .367/.448/.711 with nine home runs, 20 RBIs and a 1.159 OPS in 25 games. He reached base safely in 23 of those contests, hitting safely in 21.
That success drummed up strong support online.
'I try to stay off social media as much as I can, but I saw some of the stuff on Twitter — it's pretty cool, to have support like that's a pretty cool feeling,' Elko said.
Elko received the news that he would be joining the Sox from Charlotte manager Sergio Santos before Friday's game.
'It's been pretty fun, just getting texts from friends and family,' Elko said. 'Sorry if I haven't responded to some people. But it's been awesome. Just thankful for everybody and great opportunity and ready to go.'
The Sox had Elko at first base and in the No. 8 slot of the lineup Saturday. He flied out to shallow center leading off the third inning in his first at-bat.
Andrew Vaughn was the designated hitter and hit a solo home run in the first inning, his second in as many games. Venable said the plan for the two will involve 'mixing and matching' between first base and DH.
'There (are also) going to be times where (Miguel) Vargas might be at first base,' Venable said. 'So, I think we are going to take this day by day. But you (can) expect to see both Tim and (Vaughn) at first base.'
Elko said part of Venable's message was 'keep doing what I'm doing and play hard.'
'I feel like a lot of hard work came to fruition,' Elko said of being called up. 'Just excited to get here and start my journey.'
Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was not in Saturday's starting lineup as he dealt with 'some soreness in his right knee,' according to Venable.
'With all these guys, we have a couple of guys banged up,' Venable said. 'Kind of what you would expect being at the end of a stretch where it's been 26 (games) out of 27 (days). Really dense part of the schedule here where these nicks and bruises are part of it. It's more one of those than anything we are really concerned about.'
Venable said Robert's situation is a 'day-to-day thing. We expect him to be available though.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
37 minutes ago
- Axios
Another shocking Red Sox trade
Red Sox fans are furious after the team traded away star player Rafael Devers last night — the second time in the past five years the franchise has traded a star player for what seems like an insufficient return. "I'm shocked. This is a terrible trade. Rafael is their star player and it's going to ruin the Sox," one fan told Boston's CBS affiliate, WBZ. "I honestly think they're just doing it for the money." Devers is a three-time All-Star.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three questions and three answers from Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
Real Madrid secured the first win of the Xabi Alonso era to put one foot into the knock-out stage of the FIFA Club World Cup as they beat Mexican side Pachuca 3-1 in Charlotte on Sunday afternoon. Raúl Asencio was sent off after only seven minutes, but Jude Bellingham, Arda Güler and Fede Valverde saw Los Blancos secure a comfortable victory for the Spanish side despite Elias Montiel's late strike deflecting off Aurélien Tchouameni for a consolation goal. Three answers 1. How similar would this be to the meeting between the two teams seven months ago? Real Madrid and Pachuca don't come face to face all that often, logically given the distance from Spain to Mexico, but they did meet in the Club World Cup in its previous format as recently as December 2024. It wasn't plain sailing for Real Madrid, recording only one more shot on target and the same total number of shots as their opponents, but their clinical finishing and high-quality chances allowed them to wrap up a 3-0 win, with Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo Goes and Vinícius Júnior all on the scoresheet. This wasn't dissimilar. Pachuca registered more shots and more shots on target, even dominating possession for long periods of the first half, but couldn't compete in front of goal, with three superb moves giving Real Madrid golden chances to score. Advertisement 2. What changes would Xabi Alonso make from the draw with Al Hilal? Xabi Alonso made only limited changes to the team he put out here, with Rodrygo Goes making way for Arda Güler in the only personnel switch. The more interesting switches came from how Alonso moved his players around in-game, switching positions and becoming more versatile in the final third, both with Gonzalo García and later Brahim Díaz. Also intriguing was Alonso's use of his bench to manage an incredibly demanding game in intense heat with 10 men for 83 minutes. This time there were minutes off the bench for Dani Ceballos and Luka Modrić, but, perhaps tellingly, none for Rodrygo Goes… 3. Where would Arda Güler feature, if at all? Speaking to Managing Madrid before the game, Arda Güler was asked about his preferred position and stated that 'I can adapt to any position, if the team needs me on the wing I can play there, but for me it's better if I play in midfield because from there I can touch the ball more'. When Kiyan Sobhani of Managing Madrid extended a question to Xabi Alonso about those comments, the coach agreed, saying, 'I agree with Arda that he needs to be close to the ball, he's one player that is special because the more touches he has, normally the better he plays himself and better the team plays'. Güler played alongside Jude Bellingham in a midfield two, with Fede Valverde taking up the role further wide on the right, though Xabi Alonso tweaked that in the drinks break in the first half to move Güler further forwards. He impressed, taking a well-finished goal to make it 2-0 with a dangerous run from deep, adding in a 92% pass completion rate and defensive contributions. It was a promising display. Three questions 1. Should we be concerned about Raúl Asencio? Taken off at half-time after conceding what Thibaut Courtois labelled a 'stupid' penalty against Al Hilal, Raúl Asencio was out to prove a point after overcoming illness. However, it lasted just seven minutes. Caught the wrong side of his man Salomon Rondón, he pulled the Venezuelan veteran back on the edge of the box and left referee Ramon Abatti with little choice but to send him off. With Antonio Rüdiger back in action off the bench, Éder Militão close to a return, David Alaba expected back in the coming months, Joan Martinez included with the first team as he returns, and Aurélien Tchouameni filling in for the second game running, Asencio could easily be seventh choice by the time La Liga starts in August. These rooky mistakes may be the low point of his first-team career to date, but they couldn't have come at a worse time. Advertisement 2. Will Gonzalo García have a first-team role? Heading into this tournament, the expectation was that it could be Gonzalo García's last hurrah as a Real Madrid player with the likes of Celta Vigo and Getafe reported to be interested. It was a surprise when Xabi Alonso picked him to start in his first game in charge, breaking from Carlo Ancelotti's methods which might have opted for a change in shape with Kylian Mbappé absent. What he has made clear in these two games is that he offers something very different to what Real Madrid possess in their squad. While he's not the Joselu target man style that was missing last season, he offers a more mobile and versatile option who can also move wide. The 21 year old is unlikely to displace any of those ahead of him in the pecking order or to develop into a world beater, but he's a strong squad option who can add value to Xabi Alonso's squad. 3. What's needed for Real Madrid to progress? A lot depends on the result of Al Hilal vs RB Salzburg on Sunday night, as a win for the Austrians would put them in first place ahead of their clash with Real Madrid in the final game. That could work to Real Madrid's benefit as it would almost guarantee a place in the knock-outs, unless Al Hilal could then turn around a goal difference deficit and hope that Real Madrid lose to Salzburg. Regardless of what happens later on Sunday in Washington DC, a win for Real Madrid against RB Salzburg would see them qualify, only with first or second place depending upon goal difference. The only way in which Real Madrid can be eliminated in the group stage is if Al Hilal and RB Salzburg draw on Sunday, with Salzburg then at least drawing against Real Madrid, in which case Al Hilal would need to surpass Real Madrid's goal difference, or beating Los Blancos, with Al Hilal winning against Pachuca. Advertisement More from
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Watch the three most important plays from LSU baseball's national championship win
LSU baseball finished off Coastal Carolina in two games during the College World Series finals to win the eighth national championship in program history. From Charles Schwab Stadium in Omaha, the Tigers came from behind on Sunday and never looked back. They got six strong innings from starting pitcher Anthony Eyanson and relied on Chase Shores to dial up his fastball down the stretch. Ethan Frey had another big day at the plate, collecting three hits and driving in one run. Derek Curiel and Chris Stanfield each finished with two RBI. Seven of LSU's nine batters had a hit, helping to chase Coastal Carolina starting pitcher Jacob Morrison to the dugout midway through the fourth inning. The Chanticleers, who dealt with first-inning ejections of their head coach and first base coach, jumped on top early with a solo home run in the second. They clubbed another homer in the seventh but would get no closer. Here are the top three plays from LSU baseball's national championship win over Coastal Carolina. Ethan Frey's early RBI double Facing an early deficit, the Tigers needed to crawl back quickly to turn the momentum. Ethan Frey stepped to the plate with two outs in the top of the third inning and crushed a double to the left field wall. Derek Curiel scored easily from second base to tie the contest at one run apiece. Curiel delivers clutch hit to extend lead All season long, Curiel remained disciplined at the plate during high-leverage at-bats. The true freshman produced again, this time with two outs and two runners in scoring position. He roped a 1-0 pitch back up the middle to score two runs in the top of the fourth inning, giving the Tigers a 5-1 lead. Eyanson gets out of a jam with strikeout As it did in the first game, Coastal Carolina got plenty of traffic on the base paths throughout Sunday's contest. With two outs and two runners on, Ty Dooley stepped to the plate to face Eyanson. The right-hander got him to chase a 1-2 slider in the dirt to end the inning without giving up a run.
