Tim Tebow won't open the season with the Mets, but he'll begin 2019 just a step away from the majors.
The Heisman-winning quarterback was one of eight players cut from New York's spring training camp Tuesday morning and is slated to open his third full season of professional baseball with Triple-A Syracuse.
Tebow took the demotion in stride, telling reporters he was grateful for the time he had to learn from more experienced players and coaches during his time in big-league camp. Overall, he said it's a "night and day" difference from last spring, which saw him sprain his ankle early in camp when he stepped on a sprinkler head while running in the outfield.
"Last year just at the start was so disappointing, Day 1 getting injured, and then it's like an uphill battle the whole time, just very frustrating," he said, via MLB.com. "This year I feel like it's a very different atmosphere, just being able to learn and work and improve, and also show that as well."
Tebow went 4 for 15 (.267) in Grapefruit League action as he looks to build on a decent season at Double-A Binghamton last year. The 31-year-old slashed .273/.336/.399 with six home runs in 84 games, improving his OPS by nearly 80 points from his first minor league campaign before his season ended in late July with a broken bone in his hand.
While Tebow's chances of becoming an impact player in the majors remain slim, his faith in the quest hasn't wavered.
"Every day, I'm all-in on pursuing this," he said. "You've been around here, you've seen that. That's just my goal and we're going to give it as good a shot as we can."