Tebow goes deep; Davis to have MRI

PORT ST. LUCIE — Tim Tebow will always remember his first spring training home run, because it arrived on the same day he met two-time World Series champion Kirk Gibson.

Gibson, the former National League MVP, is battling Parkinson’s disease, much the same as Tebow’s father. Gibson, after retiring from a 17-year bigleague career in 1995, now serves as a special assistant to the general manager for the Tigers, while also remaining in his role as a commentator for Fox Sports Detroit.

“We had a chance to talk for a few minutes,” Tebow told reporters in Lakeland, Fla. “He was encouraging me and saying some nice things. It was nice of him.”

Tebow, enjoying his fourth bigleague camp as a Met, cranked a tworun homer off veteran right-hander Alex Wilson in the sixth inning of the Mets’ 9-6 loss to the Tigers.

A smattering of fans in the crowd exclaimed, ‘No way!’ as Tebow enthusiastically rounded the bases for his two-run jack.

“I’ve been seeing the ball pretty good — except for my first at-bat of the spring where I was super aggressive,” Tebow told reporters after the game, referencing his strikeout on Saturday against the Marlins. “I’m just trying to improve a little bit every day.”

Tebow, a 32-year-old former NFL quarterback, is running out of opportunities to make the big leagues. The typical 40-man roster will be limited to 28 players in September following a league-wide rule change, making a promotion to the majors less likely for Tebow. He signed with the Mets on a minor-league contract in 2016 and has since worked his way up the ladder, jumping from single-A ball to Triple-A across three minor-league seasons.

But the University of Florida graduate has had his fair share of injuries. In 2018, Tebow accidentally stepped on a sprinkler head to begin spring training. In the ensuing minor-league season, he sustained a broken bone in his right hand, which required surgery. In Aug. 2019, he was forced to cut short his first season with the Syracuse Mets due to a severe cut on his left pinkie that required stitches.

Now, set to enter his fourth season playing professional baseball, Tebow is fully healthy and aspires to occupy a locker in a major-league clubhouse.

MRI FOR DAVIS

J.D. Davis will have an MRI today after injuring his shoulder while diving for a ball at third base in an exhibition game against the Tigers.

Davis, who stayed down for a few minutes before leaving the game, was evaluated and no labrum or rotator cuff damage was detected.