Mets promote Tim Tebow

The New York Mets promoted former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow from Class A Columbia to Class A Advanced St. Lucie on Sunday.

St. Lucie is the Mets’ third-highest ranked minor league affiliate.

The 29-year-old Tebow is batting .222 with three home runs, 23 RBIs, a .311 on-base percentage and a .340 slugging percentage in 63 games for the Columbia Fireflies. He has 69 strikeouts and 23 walks in 212 at-bats.

Tebow was scheduled to play in his final game Sunday for Columbia, before reporting to St. Lucie on Tuesday.

“It’s not like he’s tearing up the league, but at the same time all of the indications are positive in terms of various things we look at — chase rates and exit velocity,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters Sunday. “The bottom line is the average isn’t there, but he’s improving.

“His recent last three weeks are actually trending pretty well. Given all the other circumstances, age and so forth, we thought this was the right time to promote him.”

Tebow signed with the Mets in September and spent time in the Florida Instructional League and the Arizona Fall League.

Tebow captured the 2007 Heisman Trophy as part of a stellar college football career at the University of Florida, leading the Gators to two national championships.

The Broncos made him a first-round draft pick in 2010, and he led Denver to an overtime playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in his second season. He spent one season with the New York Jets and played in 35 NFL games. He also spent time in training camps with the New England Patriots (2013) and Philadelphia Eagles (2015)