Skip to main content
Join Now

Tim Elko hits three-run homer for first career hit in MLB

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels05/11/25ChandlerVessels
tim elko
Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Tim Elko recorded the first hit of his MLB career in exciting fashion on Sunday against the Miami Marlins. Elko, who was called up from the minor leagues on Saturday by the Chicago White Sox, stepped to the plate with the game tied at 1 in the top of the sixth inning.

He wasted no time, connecting on the second pitch of the at-bat to send it sailing over the left field fence for a home run. That drove in three runs to give the White Sox a 4-1 advantage. You can view the moment below.

Elko played college baseball at Ole Miss, which he helped lead to a College World Series title in his final season in 2022. He also set the single-season school record for home runs during that season (24) and ranks second all-time in program history with 46 career homers.

Elko was a key part of the run to the championship for the Rebels that year. In addition to his 24 home runs, he also had 75 RBI and 63 runs scored as he was named an NCBWA All-American as well as to the College World Series All-Tournament team.

That led the White Sox to select him in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He spent the next three seasons grinding it out in the minor leagues before finally getting his chance to make his major league debut this weekend.

So far this season, Elko appeared in 31 games for the Charlotte Knights, the AAA affiliate team for the White Sox. He had recorded 39 hits and 10 home runs with a .348 batting average.

Elko finished 0-for-3 at the plate in his MLB debut on Saturday as Chicago lost 3-1. His home run Sunday was his only hit of the day in three plate appearances, but it ended up being the reason the White Sox went home with a 4-2 win.

Overall, Elko has appeared in 325 minor league games since graduating from Ole Miss. He has a career batting average of .293 with 61 home runs and 218 RBI.

Sunday’s win gave Elko a chance to prove himself at the major league level and he certainly delivered with his sixth-inning homer. It also gave Chicago the 2-1 series win. He’ll hope that can earn him more playing time with the White Sox, who next begin a series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.