Tim Tebow's minor league march in his hopes of reaching the big leagues has hit a minor speedbump.
The former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and New York Mets outfield farmhand was placed on the disabled list Saturday after injuring his right hand two days before, the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies announced.
Tebow's injury occurred in Binghamton's 3-2 win over the Trenton Thunder, a New York Yankees affiliate, on Thursday. The left fielder was removed from the game in the seventh inning after seemingly hurting his hand during a swing,
"It's a hand/wrist thing," Rumble Ponies manager Luis Rojas said to reporters Thursday. "I think there was one swing where he let go the bottom hand and the top hand finished his swing. He said that he felt something there. We don't know right now."
This marks the first time during Tebow's professional baseball career that he has landed on the DL. Tebow, who turns 31 next month, is slated to visit a hand specialist on Monday in New York City.
The injury issue interrupts Tebow's most impressive stretch as a minor leaguer. Coming off being named to the Eastern League All-Star Game, he is hitting .340 in July with a .798 OPS after hitting .301/.762 in June. Tebow's offensive numbers have improved in each month this season as he has gone from novelty to curiosity, with speculation growing that the Mets may consider him as a September call-up to the majors when rosters are expanded.
For the year, Tebow is hitting .273 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 84 games, all at Binghamton.
Tebow struggled in spring training, going 1-for-18 with 11 strikeouts in seven exhibition games with the Mets. In 126 games last season in Class-A, Tebow hit .226 with eight home runs and 52 RBIs. He played for Columbia before being promoted to high Class-A St. Lucie.
Before starting his professional baseball career, Tebow won the Heisman Trophy as quarterback of the Florida Gators and played three NFL seasons, two for the Denver Broncos and one for the New York Jets.
--Field Level Media