As expected, there isn't much for Chicago White Sox fans to be happy about right now. The team enters play Wednesday at 10-26, Luis Robert Jr. is hitting under .200 and the organization has been bitten hard by the injury bug. One player that White Sox fans can get excited about, though, is Tim Elko. The only problem is that he is not in the Major Leagues; the team should rectify that sooner rather than later.
I get that the White Sox want Andrew Vaughn to pan out. They selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. He was a productive player for them even three years ago. Right now, though, Vaughn looks completely lost and is a player that the White Sox should look to move on from.
With Elko mashing in the Minor Leagues, moving on from Vaughn and replacing him with a younger, more dynamic player should be a no-brainer.
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White Sox must give Tim Elko a shot sooner rather than later
Elko might not seem like an exciting player to White Sox fans — he isn't considered one of the organization's top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline — but his numbers this season show why he's a player worth getting excited about.
The 26-year-old entered Wednesday's action slashing .343/.424/.667 with 10 home runs and 22 RBI, and only improved his numbers with a two-hit performance on Wednesday. He has been on an absolute tear.
I get the concerns. It's only early May, Elko is not a highly-touted prospect and he's striking out a lot. With that being said, though, what do the White Sox have to lose at this point? Chicago is headed toward another last-place finish and is playing solely for the future. Maybe Elko can turn into a useful player for them.
If he does, that's great, and the White Sox might have their first baseman of the future. If he doesn't, oh well, the team has a hole it already had to begin with.
What should be clear by now is that Vaughn is not the answer in Chicago. He needs a fresh start. Elko might not be the answer either, but his numbers show that he's worthy of a shot. With the White Sox being in the state they're in, they ought to give players crushing Triple-A like Elko an opportunity. Hopefully, that opportunity comes very soon.