The broken right hamate bone that ended his season early didn’t keep Tim Tebow down for long. Predictably, the eternally optimistic Mets’ minor leaguer and former Heisman Trophy winner looked at the setback as a positive.
“In every setback, there’s a comeback,” he said in a video released by his charity, the Tim Tebow Foundation. “Our God is a God of comebacks. There’s disappointing things that happen, and of course that was disappointing for me. But at the same time, comebacks are pretty awesome, and I can’t wait for this one.”
The 31-year-old Tebow, who signed with the Mets as a free agent in September 2016, was having a strong season, earning respect after his endeavor into baseball was considered a gimmicky novelty act. Tebow was selected for the Double-A Eastern League All-Star Game after batting .273 with a .734 OPS and six homers in 298 at-bats with Binghamton. He did strike out 103 times, 22 more than anyone else on the roster, before needing surgery to repair the broken bone in late July.
Before the injury, there was the belief he might get a call-up to the Mets in September when rosters expanded. His major league dream remains possible. New general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Tebow’s agent with CAA before becoming the Mets GM, said Tebow would likely start next season at Triple-A Syracuse, and didn’t dismiss the possibility Tebow could make it to Queens in 2019.
“You know what? I know that this happened for a reason,” Tebow said about the injury, sustained while swinging a bat. “I’m ready to bounce back, because [God] didn’t give me the dream to go out there and play baseball just to break my hand. I believe that. I’m excited about the next chapter.”