How much more of Andrew Vaughn do we have to endure before the White Sox call up Tim Elko?

Andrew Vaughn was not the reason the Chicago White Sox lost 3-2 in 10 innings to the Athletics yesterday.

However, he was a huge reason why the Sox tasted defeat.

A baserunning gaffe made by Vaughn in the sixth inning cost the White Sox the chance to break a 1-1 tie. Then the Pale Hose finally got the lead in the 10th with the opportunity to pour on more runs, and Vaughn grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Vaughn just does not seem to be produce when it matters most, at least this season, as evidenced by his .185 average with runners in scoring position.

Then again, Vaughn is not producing much this season, and it makes you wonder just how long the team will allow this to drag on.

At some point, you have to think the franchise should give him the Spencer Torkelson treatment, and just send him down to Triple-A. It worked for the Detroit Tigers to finally get their once highly touted, highly drafted first baseman to finally hit like the impact player that was envisioned on draft day.

Continuing to be patient with Vaughn has to stop, especially since this is another season where he has gotten off to a putrid start.

Vaughn's .476 OPS currently ranks 170 out of the 175 qualified batters to be ranked in that category. That means he is currently the fifth-worst hitter in baseball.

While it is getting hard to be patient with Luis Robert Jr., at least he showed signs that he will eventually break out of this funk with a home run on Saturday, along with driving in the lead-taking run in the 10th yesterday.

Vaughn essentially grabbed a bat and killed that rally in that same inning.

What makes it even harder to deal with Vaughn's struggles is that Tim Elko is crushing the ball at Triple-A.

He had another multi-home run game yesterday for the Charlotte Knights. His OPS is 1.164, and he is the toast of the White Sox world right now.

Yet, the front office quietly tells you what they think about the 26-year-old prospect by not calling him up.

Maybe Elko is just another Yermin Mercedes or Matt Davidson. That would be better right now, and at least more entertaining in a lost season, than what Vaughn is providing.

A summer of Elko hitting home runs like Davidson did in 2017 and 2018 would be a dream compared to the nightmare all of us have had to endure watching Vaughn continue to produce what ranges from terrible to replacement-level production.

Vaughn really has not tried much to shake out of this doldrum. Even Miguel Vargas has tinkered with his swing, and he is getting results.

Instead, Vaughn believes he will hit eventually. His career numbers do support that he will hit sometime by June. By then, the season will be on a collision course with losing 125 games.

That is why it is time to do something drastic with this former cornerstone piece. A demotion for Vaughn and a promotion for Elko might do the trick.