CHICAGO -- For the first time in his 26-year existence, Tim Elko flew first class when traveling from Charlotte on Friday evening to make his Major League debut for the White Sox during a 3-1 loss to the Marlins Saturday night at Rate Field.
That flight officially goes down as Elko’s initial ‘I made it’ moment.
“I was kind of like, ‘Dang, I guess I'm going to the big leagues,’” said a smiling Elko. “But now it's getting here and seeing all the guys again. I've already got so many buddies up here, so that makes it a little easier. It’s starting to hit me now.”
A number of career firsts are sure to follow for the right-handed slugging first baseman. Many of those will have to wait a day or two with Elko finishing 0-for-3 in his debut, featuring a fly out and a groundout and second baseman Javier Sanoja, who stole a two-out run-scoring hit on a grounder up the middle to end the seventh.
But as for that proud moment of wearing the White Sox uniform in a regular-season contest? Well, that memory can never be erased.
“Yeah, it was great. It’s a great feeling. Get out there, get the butterflies out and just get to playing,” Elko said. “I didn’t get a whole lot of great pitches to hit. They were making some good pitches. I feel like I took some balls and swung at some pitches there on the borderline. That’s baseball sometimes.”
“Solid at-bats,” said White Sox manager Will Venable of Elko. “He looked comfortable, took some tough pitches. So a good day for him to get his feet wet and we'll see what it looks like tomorrow."
Elko’s rise is a credit to the White Sox organization, which laid out an offseason plan to improve nuances offensively and defensively. He’s done a much better job of focusing on the pitches he can do damage on and cut down chasing out of the zone and the strikeouts often following.
Plenty of credit should truly go to Elko. He was a 10th-round pick in the 2022 Draft out of Mississippi, where he helped his baseball squad win a national championship and became an local hero.
Not many players have a statue in their honor before swinging a bat at the Major League level. Elko falls into that small group back in Oxford, Miss.
“He could definitely run for mayor,” said White Sox right-hander Jonathan Cannon, Elko’s good friend and teammate, who drove Elko to the ballpark Saturday.
Over 325 Minor League games with the White Sox, Elko has slashed .293/.348/.495 with 61 home runs and 218 RBIs. In 2025 alone for Triple-A Charlotte, Elko produced a line of .348/.431/.670 with 10 homers and 23 RBIs. The organization’s Minor League Player of the Month not only earned the promotion but basically forced it, even with Andrew Vaughn in place at the same first base and designated hitter role and the White Sox frequently playing matchups.
Venable said before the game there will be many times for both Elko and Vaughn in the same lineup, with that situation playing out Saturday and Vaughn homering for the lone White Sox run. Elko’s promotion also was the answer for vocal White Sox fans, ranging from prayers for his arrival to angry assessments regarding his lack of a big league chance.
“I did see some stuff of people showing some support, which was cool,” Elko said. “To try to kind of focus on my game, the good and the bad of [Twitter/X] and Instagram and all that stuff is kind of just in the background.”
Elko’s parents, sister, some of his dad’s family and some of his college friends were in the stands to not only watch Elko but to view Shane Smith throw six scoreless with seven strikeouts. Elko’s cousin actually caught a foul ball in the ninth inning, while the Marlins’ Nick Fortes, who played collegiately with Elko in ’18, had a chance to briefly talk to him at first base after walking as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.
“He's a really nice guy, so it's good to see him,” Fortes said. “I just told him congratulations.”
Original news of his promotion came from Charlotte manager Sergio Santos before Friday’s contest, as Santos broke down with happiness and called Elko one of his favorite players. That opinion is shared by countless White Sox people, with Elko’s first-class work now really just beginning for the team.
“My dreams came true,” Elko said. “I got to be a big leaguer today. I’m looking forward to playing some more games with these guys."