MLB

Tebow's first St. Lucie game is Tuesday at First Data Field

Mike Graham
Treasure Coast Newspapers

Tim Tebow is coming back to town.

The New York Mets have promoted Tebow to St. Lucie in the Florida State League.

His first game at Port St. Lucie's First Data Field will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday vs. the Palm Beach Cardinals.

St. Lucie is off Monday after losing a 13-10 Sunday game vs. Charlotte at home.

Tim Tebow, shown signing autographs during spring training, has been promoted to the St. Lucie Mets. His first game at First Data Field will be Tuesday against Palm Beach.

Tebow has spent the 2017 season with the low Class A Columbia Fireflies, hitting .220 with three home runs, 23 RBI in 64 games. He has struck out 69 times.

Tebow started Sunday's South Atlantic League home game against Kannapolis. He was 0-for-2 with a walk in the Fireflies 2-1 loss.

New York general manager Sandy Alderson told USA TODAY Sports in San Francisco Sunday — before the Mets -Giants game — that Tebow's play of late prompted the move, despite his low offensive numbers.

“His on-base (percentage), isolated power, swing, exit velocity, a lot of different things have been much better in the last 15 games," Alderson said. “On the other hand, we recognize this is not the normal, usual circumstance, but we just felt that given everything involved, this was about the right time for him to move up to high A.’’

Tebow signed a minor league contract with New York on September 8, 2016 that included a $100,000 signing bonus, and he reported to the Mets' Florida Instructional League at the First Data Field complex.

At the time of his signing, Alderson said, "While I and the organization are mindful of the novel nature of this situation, this decision was strictly driven by baseball,”

On September 28, in his first official instructional league at-bat on a backfield of the First Data Field complex, Tebow hit a first-inning home run off Cardinals instructional league left-handed pitcher John Kilichowski.

Tim Tebow, shown in this March 8, 2017 spring training game, was promoted Sunday by the New York Mets. Tebow will go from Columbia of the South Atlantic League to St. Lucie of the Florida State League. His first game in Port St. Lucie is Tuesday.

After instructional league workouts, Tebow went on to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions. In 19 games, Tebow was 12-for-71 (.194 average, 20 strikeouts) with no home runs and two RBI.

He appeared in nine games for New York during spring training, going 4-for-27 (.148 average, 8 strikeouts) with one walk. 

For Columbia, not only was Tebow having a tough time at the plate, but he was still adjusting defensively. In 58 total chances in the outfield, Tebow has made seven errors (.879 fielding average) against one assist. 

Perhaps returning to his home state of Florida will provide Tebow — and St. Lucie — a boost. The Mets are now 1-3 (34-38 overall) in the second half of the Florida State League. 

This story will be updated.