This White Sox player should lose playing time for Tim Elko permanently

Much to the delight of Chicago White Sox fans, Tim Elko has arrived in the Major Leagues and is already making an impact.

In just his second career game, Elko launched a three-run home run off of former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara. It was his first home run and first hit as a big leaguer, but it also put the White Sox ahead for good in a rubber match with the Miami Marlins.

That’s exactly why Elko is on the roster. If nothing else, he brings some pop to the lineup that just isn’t there without him.

The White Sox are 28th in home runs as a team. They have only two more home runs (29) than the Kansas City Royals (27), who are dead last in baseball.

My expectation is for Elko to be in the White Sox starting lineup every day. Maybe he’s at first base, maybe he’s DHing. I don’t really care as long as he has a bat in his hands.

But if the Sox are going to do what I hope and give Elko regular at-bats. Someone is going to have to lose playing time. It may be a hot take, but I think that player should be Josh Rojas.

Josh Rojas should come off the bench

Rojas signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the White Sox in free agency. It was a move that made a lot of sense for both parties.

The White Sox got a versatile veteran that can play 4-5 different positions and put together more polished at-bats at the plate than what we saw in Chicago in 2024.

Rojas got his $3.5 million fully guaranteed and landed with a team that would give him some playing time to reestablish his value. If he performed through the first three months of the season, Rojas could even get traded to a contender and be playing for a World Series come October. It made all the sense in the world.

A toe injury keeping Rojas out for the first month of the season was not part of the plan, however.

Rojas was activated off the Injured List last week and in 20 at-bats since his return, he is 4-for-20 with a .533 OPS. In my opinion, he has not been particularly impressive with the glove, either.

I’m not advocating for Rojas to be DFA’d. He’s a big leaguer and there’s a place for him on the Sox roster. I just don’t think that place should be in the everyday lineup.

2025 is about growth and development for the White Sox. It’s about finding out what you have in some of the organization's younger, high-upside players. I’m not ready to give up on Lenyn Sosa or Brooks Baldwin, and obviously I’d like to see Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas getting regular at-bats as well.

Between Andrew Vaughn, Tim Elko, Edgar Quero, and Matt Thaiss, C/1B/DH should be occupied pretty much every night. Meidroth and Sosa can hold down the middle infield and Vargas is at third. That leaves Rojas as the odd man out.

If Will Venable wants to throw Rojas in right field and bench Michael A. Taylor, that’s fine by me too. The good thing about Rojas is that he has positional versatility and can fill in regardless of who needs a day off.

If Luis Robert Jr. takes a day off or gets traded, the Sox can move Taylor to CF and throw Rojas in RF.

But honestly, Rojas losing at-bats would be a good thing. This is what White Sox fans should be waiting for. More young players that are called up and demand playing time with their performance. Segway these veterans out while you bring the next generation of White Sox baseball in.