The White Sox are not expected to be good in 2025, so the season should be focused on player development, as they have a ton of young guys on the roster that could get significant playing time. This could be huge in the player’s development, as sometimes it can take a few seasons for players to get accustomed to the major leagues, but it could potentially be accelerated by consistent playing time.
There will be a lot of roster decisions to be made, especially in Spring Training, but much like last year, expect the roster to be consistently evolving to allow the younger players to get a shot at more playing time.
One name that will likely get some buzz to make the roster out of Spring Training will be Tim Elko, who has consistently hit since being drafted by the White Sox.
Last year, between AA and AAA, Elko hit .289 with 18 homeruns and 73 RBIs. The year prior, Elko hit 28 homeruns, so the power is clearly there. Elko is 26, so he should be making his major league debut sooner rather than later, and he deserves it.
13-game hitting streak! ????????????
Tim Elko with a 1st inning TRIPLE!!! pic.twitter.com/3ykLBEdltx
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) August 16, 2024
There could be a spot for Elko on the roster, as the White Sox did not tender a contract to Gavin Sheets this offseason. Sheets still remains unsigned to this point in free agency.
It seems that Elko would naturally step into Sheets DH/1B role, as Elko plays the same position. However, it may not be that clear.
Bryan Ramos came up last year and played well in his limited at-bats, especially to end the year. It is likely that he gets a chance to play everyday at third base, competing with midseason trade acquisition Miguel Vargas, who is also a third basemen.
However, whoever wins the third base job out of Spring Training could shift over to the DH role, leaving no clear path to playing time for Tim Elko. This will likely be true if Ramos wins the 3rd base job out of Spring Training, as it is unlikely that the White Sox will send Vargas to AAA, as they gave up a lot to acquire him, so they will give him every chance to succeed.
Putting Vargas or Ramos out of position wouldn’t make sense, as they tried Vargas in the outfield last year and it did not work out.
So, if Ramos gets serious consideration to play 3rd everyday, there may not be a path for Elko to make the roster and play everyday, as they likely would prioritize Vargas over him. The White Sox could still trade Vaughn at some point and that would open first base for Elko, but that seems unlikely before the trade deadline.
Hopefully all three absolutely rake in Spring Training and the White Sox figure out a way to get them consistent playing time, as those types of problems are nice to have. The White Sox need to give Elko a real chance soon, regardless of how they do it, as he has been one of the most consistent hitters in the White Sox organization over the last three years.
