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Report: Mets have discussed minor-league promotion for Tebow

Joshua S. Kelly / USA TODAY Sports

The most popular player in Low-A may soon be moving up.

Boasting an .849 OPS over his last 16 games, Tim Tebow's recent surge for the Columbia Fireflies - the New York Mets' affiliate in the South Atlantic League - has reportedly prompted discussion about bumping the former quarterback to a higher minor-league level, a club source told Mike Puma of the New York Post. Any promotion, however, likely wouldn't happen until after the All-Star break.

Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy winner who spent parts of three seasons in the NFL, didn't enjoy the most auspicious start to his professional baseball career, hitting just .156 through his first dozen games with Columbia, but the 29-year-old has hit .327 with five extra-base hits since April 21, bumping his season OPS up to .700 through 28 contests.

Despite not playing organized baseball for roughly a decade before signing a minor-league deal with the Mets last summer, Tebow - who's almost eight years older, on average, than the typical player in the South Atlantic League - said last week he's feeling increasingly comfortable at the plate.

"I feel I'm making progress," he told The Associated Press. "I'm more comfortable and seeing the pitches better. The rhythm is better. I feel like I have been getting better," Tebow said. "You've got to have the work ethic, whether you are 0-for-4 or 3-for-4. You’ve just got to try and stay level-handed, and that is something I have tried to bring to the team."

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