The White Sox announced that first baseman Tim Elko underwent surgery Tuesday to address a torn right ACL. Elko’s projected recovery time is eight months, so he’ll miss at least half of the 2026 season. (MLB.com’s Scott Merkin was one of the Sox beat writers who passed on the news.)
It’s a rough setback for Elko, who made his Major League debut in the form of 23 games for the White Sox this season. Elko also spent just under four weeks on Chicago’s 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain, so it seems likely that his ACL tear came in the aftermath of that knee issue, or perhaps Elko was trying to play through a tear.
This is the second right ACL tear for Elko, as he suffered the same injury in 2021 while playing college ball for Ole Miss. Rather than get immediate surgery, Elko took roughly a month off and then returned to play 21 more games for the team. Elko had played some third base and outfield as well as first base in college, but in the aftermath of his ACL tear, he has stuck just to first base and DH in pro ball.
Chicago selected Elko in the tenth round of the 2022 draft, and he worked his way up the minor league ladder with increasingly strong numbers (including a .291/.359/.525 slash line and 35 homers over 633 Triple-A plate appearances). This was enough for the White Sox to select Elko’s contract to the big league roster this year, but he was shuttled back and forth to Triple-A after making little impact in the Show. Elko hit only .134/.194/.328 with four homers in his first 72 MLB plate appearances.
The door was open for Elko (who turns 27 in December) to put himself in Chicago’s first base picture after Andrew Vaughn was traded to the Brewers in June, but Elko’s lack of production and subsequent knee issues scuttled his chances. Elko now faces a long road back with the second ACL rehab of his career, and the hope is that he can heal up in time to get another decent-sized look on the White Sox roster before the 2026 season is over.
His minor league numbers are pretty good, hopefully he can make the transition to the big leagues, he’s not that old…
he is quite solid but he struck out a lot in his debut this season he can be good but gotta cut those K’s down.
Yup, his K rate is pretty high, that’s probably his one thing he needs to work on.
He’s really not that good !
The White Sox are currently not that good either, so what’s your point?
The point is they are trying to get better and you do not put mediocre talent on an MLB club if you are trying to get better. (That including bringing up all of their top position prospect this past season).
So the White Sox had so much going for them last year that they couldn’t let this guy get the surgery so he was back for spring Training? If there is a bigger Organization of Quacks than the White Sox and Bulls Doctors I haven’t heard of them. They’d be better off with Faith Healers at this point.
That’s because Jerry tries to penny pinch wherever possible.
I hear Jerry’s love of his life in the vice in his office to pinch those nickels and pennies
cough cough bengals cough.
The Brewers next King Vaughn?
Get well, king!
I hope he comes back strong. That said, Sox will probably play Vargas at 3B and Sosa at 1B. Elko is a depth option. He seems a likeable guy who’s unfortunately gotten buried behind Vaughn. Lots of guys struggle in their first taste of the majors, though. Hope this isn’t the last time we see him on the big league team.
I like both guys, but they have to have better stats at those positions. Sosa has been a better hitter this past season on the Sox, but that does not make him a good first baseman. Vargas has to show a LOT more consistency with the bat to be at third.
Hopefully the next hitting coach can help with that.
There goes the parade plans.. again.
The Sox should sign Naylor to a 5-year front loaded deal and let him play 1B for three years and then either move him to DH or trade him. Billy Carlson will be one of the best defensive SS in MLB and should be ready in three years. That will allow the Sox to move Colson Montgomery to 1B to keep him healthy.
Backwards hes Okle Mit, Norwegian sheep herder