Tim Tebow promoted to Mets’ Class A affiliate in St. Lucie

The New York Mets will promote Tim Tebow from their low-Class A affiliate, the Columbia Fireflies, to their high-Class A affiliate, the St. Lucie Mets, the team announced Sunday.

Tebow is expected to play with the Fireflies on Sunday before joining the Mets, who play in the Florida State League.

The move is somewhat perplexing, despite the team’s stated explanation:

Though Tebow was batting just .222 with a .651 OPS in 63 games for Columbia, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said the team has been impressed by his increased exit velocity, among other advanced metrics.

Tebow’s batting average is down from its season high of .250 to that .222 mark, and while his on-base percentage crested .300 in early June and has not dipped below it, his .222/.311/.340 triple-slash entering Sunday is not that of a prospect who needs desperately to be promoted. (Those rates rank eighth, eighth, and seventh among Fireflies with at least 25 games with the team this season.)

But when Tebow gets his first hit with the St. Lucie Mets, he will have a better batting average with them this year than Yoenis Cespedes has. So there’s that.

Tebow is expected to be in the lineup for the Mets in a home game on Tuesday against the Palm Beach Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. — and if you go to or pay attention to that game instead of watching players who have and do play baseball for the Florida Gators playing against LSU in Game 2 of the championship series of the College World Series, we gon’ fight.