Former UF and NFL star Tim Tebow was demoted Tuesday by the New York Mets to their minor league camp after going 0 for 4 with four strikeouts against the Houston Astros.
The former NFL quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner hit .056 with 11 strikeouts in seven big league exhibition games. The 30-year-old has been hampered by a left ankle sprain.
"I'll just continue to work in all the areas we've been working and making progress. That's really the focus — to continue the process and the journey and keep working," Tebow said to reporters following the game. "The ankle was kind of disappointing. I got to put in a lot of good work and feel like I'm improving. It's getting there."
Earlier in spring training, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said he thinks Tebow will be in the major leagues one day. Tebow said that was not his focus right now.
"It's definitely the goal, and we'll be putting in work every day to one day get that opportunity, but you can't just be focused on the end result. It's got be on every day in the process," Tebow said. "It's having a long-term mindset with a here-and-now focus."
Tebow, an outfielder, can appear in games for New York but would have to be brought over from the minor league side.