First base was already a position of need for the Chicago White Sox — and now that need just became even more urgent.

On Wednesday morning, the team announced that first baseman Tim Elko underwent surgery to repair a torn right ACL. According to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, the procedure was performed successfully by Dr. Lyle Cain, and Elko is expected to need roughly eight months of recovery time. That timeline would put his return somewhere around late June or early July of next season.

For Elko, it’s a brutal setback at a critical point in his career. The 26-year-old finally got his first taste of the big leagues in 2025, but his debut season was a roller coaster. He brought some power to the lineup, yet his swing-and-miss issues were glaring — striking out 30 times in just 67 at-bats.

White Sox fans have long rallied around Elko because of his minor-league dominance, and they weren’t wrong to want to see him get a shot. But even his most avid supporters could tell last season that he wasn’t quite ready to handle major-league pitching on a nightly basis.

Now, with Elko sidelined, the in-house options at first base are thin. Miguel Vargas and Lenyn Sosa are possibilities, but Vargas likely projects as the starting third baseman next season, and Sosa’s bat doesn’t profile well enough to hold down first base every day.

That’s why it still feels like the White Sox need to go out and make a move. Josh Naylor, Ryan O’Hearn, or even Luis Arraez — who the team was linked to recently by The Athletic’s Jim Bowden — would all be legitimate upgrades and would fit seamlessly into the young core Chris Getz is trying to build around.

Whoever it ends up being, they need to have enough power in their bat to slide into the middle of lineup. Chicago's home run leader in 2025 was Sosa with 22. That can't happen again. Colson Montgomery could get closer to the 30 mark with a full season of at-bats, but the White Sox need to drive the ball with more authority if they want their lineup to take the next step towards contention. 

It's hard to do that of your first baseman isn't hitting home runs (which is another reason I'd prefer Naylor and O'Hearn to Arraez).

Time will tell what direction the White Sox front office takes, but one thing’s for sure: you can officially cross Tim Elko off the list of potential Opening Day first basemen.