If you didn’t know better, you might think that Steve Cohen called Mets castoff J.D. Davis for advice on everything not to do when a team is underachieving.

A few days after Cohen vowed not to fire general manager Billy Eppler or manager Buck Showalter during the season, Davis’ came back to Citi Field as a member of the San Francisco Giants and a leading example of the spark that stability can provide.

Davis played for four different Mets managers (including offseasons) under five different general managers (including two co-interims) from 2019 until he was traded last August.

“With so many moving parts and so much instability,” a reflective Davis said before Sunday’s series finale, “it wasn’t only me, there were a lot of guys in the clubhouse that felt like they were in survival mode.”

Davis pinpointed the Mets firing hitting coach Chili Davis only 22 games into the 2021 season as a pivotal point in the development of a young core that first hinted at its potential during a 13-1 second-half stretch in 2019 under Chili Davis’ tutelage.

“That was a huge dip in our morale and the clubhouse,” Davis said. “Not only me, but Dom Smith, [Jeff] McNeil, Pete [Alonso], [Brandon] Nimmo, we all had record years under Chili. So, to fire Chili within 2-3 weeks of the season, it felt the front office had the pressure on themselves and it kind of domino-affected down into the clubhouse in that sense. … When there is stability then players feel like they have that on their back and they have the ability to have the aptitude and take the responsibility of failure and apply it, move on and grow.”

The Mets kept reducing Davis’ role by the year — he hit 22 home runs in 2019 — until he primarily was a situational spare part last season.

He is enjoying a renaissance as an everyday third baseman who was hitting .285 with 10 home runs, 44 RBI and a .821 OPS for the overachieving Giants entering play Sunday.

“You kind of get the label stuck on you that you can’t play defense even though in the back of your mind you know you never really had that label in the minor leagues,” Davis said. “You’re kind of wishing and hoping you get that opportunity — not necessarily to prove anyone wrong but prove to yourself that you can still do it. Coming through in big situations of ground balls and being able to make plays for pitchers, it’s very, very validating.”

With Giants manager Gabe Kapler’s early lineup cards feeding into Davis’ preparation mindset and infield coach Kai Correa’s work on his fundamentals “everything has taken off,” Davis said.

He ranks No. 7 among MLB third baseman with six outs above average, according to Statcast.com.

Why didn’t it all click sooner?

The super-utility role — first base, third base and outfield — tried by the Mets wasn’t a fit.

“Trying to be the most versatile player I can be, I wanted to do what’s best for the team,” Davis said. “However, I think it was hindering my ability. If I were to stick with first base and third base, or stick out in the outfield, I think I would’ve gotten better over time instead of diving in and being 50 percent committed in one area and 50 percent committed in [another] area. It seemed like I wasn’t getting better at each one.”

Davis felt that every new general manager or manager was trying to “make a name for themselves” by putting his stamp on the roster, including Eppler and Showalter.

“There really wasn’t communication that, ‘You are only facing left-handed guys and going to DH,’” Davis said. “It was like I had to figure it out on my own. Same with Dom Smith. They never had a communication with him about just facing right-handed guys. That’s all we want because we want to put our best foot forward. … That sense of security and communication [from Kapler] has helped me feel stable and just be myself and be confident.”

Asked about Davis telling FoxSports that he wasn’t set up for success, Showalter declined to engage in a back-and-forth: “We’re all excited that he’s doing well. It doesn’t surprise anybody.”

Davis credited Cohen for noticeable upgrades to Citi Field and said he hopes his former team turns it around.

Across the field, though, he senses a familiar feeling sinking in with the Mets.

“I haven’t been in that clubhouse or talked to that many guys,” Davis said, “but there is definitely a sense of walking on eggshells over there.”