Minutes prior to first pitch of White Sox-Marlins Friday night, it was first reported by Vinnie Duber and later confirmed by Sox Machine’s James Fegan, that Tim Elko is getting promoted to the majors. It’s a move that White Sox fans have long been clamoring for, as the 26-year old was beating up Triple-A pitching down in Charlotte, while Andrew Vaughn simultaneously stumbled in the majors at the same position.
It’s unknown what the corresponding move is as of this writing. Chase Meidroth was originally in the lineup Friday night but was a late scratch. The White Sox announced that Meidroth is dealing with right shoulder soreness, but initially said he was day-to-day. Another trip to the injured list could be upcoming for Meidroth, or White Sox general manager Chris Getz is finally ready to introduce someone other than Vaughn into the rotation for at-bats at first base and designated hitter. Entering Friday, Vaughn was carrying a 42 wRC+, hitting .186/.223/.293 with 3 HR and 14 RBI. FanGraphs has Vaughn at -1.0 WAR which drops his career total after 598 games to -1.4 WAR.
However, during his first at-bat Friday night, Vaughn hit his fourth home run of the season off Marlins starter Max Meyer.
swung for the heavens pic.twitter.com/MdMw80xGuA
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 10, 2025
In 31 games with the Knights in 2025, Elko hit 10 home runs with 23 RBI to the tune of a .348/.431/.670 slash line. Elko has carried a 29 percent strikeout rate in the last two years, splitting time between Charlotte and Birmingham, but has seen his walk rate increased significantly to 11.5 percent this season. At 6' 3”, Elko also provides a big target at first base for his fellow infielders.
Elko gained legendary status at Ole Miss as he played the 2021 season with a torn ACL. Not only did he gut through that injury, Elko excelled; hitting two home runs against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. The following year, Elko helped lead Ole Miss to winning the 2022 College World Series along with fellow White Sox prospect Jacob Gonzalez. In Game 1 against Oklahoma, Elko went 4-for-5 with a home run. Impressed by his college resume and clubhouse reputation, White Sox selected Elko in the 10th round and signed him to a $35,000 signing bonus.
