White Sox first baseman Tim Elko is set to begin a rehab assignment with High-A Winston-Salem as he works his way back from ACL surgery and toward a long-awaited return to game action.
A Chicago White Sox fan favorite is on the mend and will soon be returning to the minor leagues.
The team informed the media on Wednesday morning that first baseman Tim Elko is beginning a rehab assignment with High-A Winston-Salem as he looks to complete his recovery from right ACL surgery last year.
Elko has not played yet this season. The last time he stepped on a field was in September 2025 with the Charlotte Knights.
You can't say Tim Elko didn't earn his MLB debut with the White Sox last year. In 96 games with Charlotte, he hit 26 home runs with a .292 batting average and .909 OPS. That production became impossible to ignore as Chicago floundered offensively at times, and some of that power immediately translated to the big leagues.
Elko hit four home runs in his first 23 career games, including a go-ahead three-run homer in just his second appearance on May 11. Despite not being a highly ranked prospect due to his age, it seemed like Elko might be in Chicago to stay. But over time, it became clear just how overmatched he was by big league pitching.
Over 67 at-bats with the White Sox last season, Elko hit just .134 with a .194 on-base percentage and 30 strikeouts. He wasn't getting on base or drawing walks, and he wasn't making enough contact for his power to actually be valuable.
After four separate stints with the White Sox, Elko was optioned back to Charlotte at the beginning of September and remained there for the rest of the season. It was then announced that the chronic knee issues he dealt with throughout 2025 had caught up to him and resulted in necessary ACL surgery. In November, Elko elected free agency, but he ended up rejoining the White Sox organization on a minor league deal in December. Now, he'll return to the field and look to start carving out a role for himself.
Elko is already 27. He'll be 28 in December, and it's pretty hard to envision what his future with the White Sox is going to look like. Munetaka Murakami is one of the best power hitters in the game. As long as Murakami is in the organization, the door is closed on Elko having a significant impact for the White Sox at first base. And as we've already seen play out in 2026, Jacob Gonzalez is another viable option if Chicago needs a replacement for Murakami.
Ryan Galanie is a 26-year-old corner infielder who's also in Triple-A Charlotte and having himself a really respectable year. He's got a .881 OPS with the Knights in 59 games.
All things considered, with the star power of Murakami and the depth already in the organization, I'm not sure we'll ever see Tim Elko take another at-bat for the White Sox. But regardless, it's nice to see a fan favorite healthy and working his way back onto the field. If it's not in Chicago, hopefully he latches on with another organization and can have a nice MLB career.
