Tim Elko’s long-awaited MLB debut falls just short of storybook moment
Tim Elko, one of the greatest and most impactful Rebels in Ole Miss baseball history, made his MLB debut on Saturday.
Elko, 26, got the call from the Chicago White Sox on Friday evening, according to reporting from Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun Times. The three-time Ole Miss captain was slashing .348/.431/.670 to go with 10 home runs through 31 games with Triple-A Charlotte.
Elko played first base and hit eighth. He finished a tough-luck 0 for 3 at the plate. Elko nearly had a storybook moment. He came up in the seventh inning with a runner on second, two outs and the score tied.
His grounder up the middle appeared ticketed for center field for a go-ahead single. However, Miami Marlins second baseman Javier Sanoja made a sliding, back-handed stop to retire Elko and end the threat.
“I was hoping that would get through and we could get a run on the board there,” Elko told reporters afterwards. “Guy made a nice play.”
The White Sox lost, 3-1, to match the worst 40-game start in franchise history. They’ve now dropped five of their last six. Elko also flew out to center and grounded out to third in the loss.
He led all of minor-league baseball in OPS (1.101) and was tied for the lead in home runs before he was promoted. Elko was second in slugging percentage and third in total bases (75).
“He just is always positive,” Chicago manager Will Venable said. “And works extremely hard. So, absolutely a credit to him for continuing to put in the work and it has paid off.”
Elko is the third Rebel to make ‘The Show’ in the last three weeks.
LHP Doug Nikhazy at the end of April debuted and was sent back down by the Cleveland Guardians after a start as the 27th man for a doubleheader. RHP Gunnar Hoglund won his debut for the soon-to-be Las Vegas A’s a week ago, surrendering just one run over six innings in a 6-1 win over the Marlins.
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The White Sox drafted Elko in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Elko and Jacob Gonzalez, his former Rebel teammate, were among the 24 players invited to spring training with the White Sox. However, neither broke came with the team. Gonzalez is with Double-A Birmingham.
Elko hit .289 with 18 home runs and 73 RBI last season. He split time between AA and AAA. Elko belted 28 home runs the year prior.
“Getting to the ballpark and playing ball, just seeing all my teammates, meeting some of the new guys I haven’t played with that much yet and seeing guys I have played with,” Elko said. “Just being able to get out on the field with them and get my first game in was a lot of fun.”
Elko was an almost-unprecedented three-time team captain at Ole Miss.
He started every game for the Rebels during their title run in the summer of 2022. He got off to a slow start in the College World Series. Even still, he finished with a .280 batting average and hit two home runs.
The most consequential was in Game 1 of the finals, when Elko was 4 for 5 with a homer and three runs scored against Oklahoma. Ole Miss swept both games.
Elko has a statue in his honor at Swayze Field, the home of the Rebels.
“I feel like a lot of hard work came to fruition,” Elko said before the game. “Just excited to get here and start my journey.”
