Pearson and Jon Debus, the minor league pitching rehabilitation coordinator, essentially run the Mets’ rehabilitation program at Port St. Lucie year round. Pearson, a physical therapist and athletic trainer, handles the off-field treatment. Debus, an old-school baseball type, conducts the on-field workouts.

The players seem to enjoy working with Debus, in particular. He jokes with them and shares some of their interests. He has gone fishing with Bobby Parnell, who is now back from his own Tommy John surgery. He has had pitchers take fielding practice in Hawaiian shirts. He has had them wear camouflage. He has had them run to get smoothies for a conditioning drill.

The players say that Debus and Pearson answer every question and soothe every concern. Pearson guessed that he had helped a few dozen pitchers in the Mets’ system recover from Tommy John surgery in his six years with the team. Debus has been in his current position for about three years.

When a Mets player is nearing the end of his rehabilitation stint, Pearson and Debus sit down and have a discussion: Should this guy get a coin?

“If you’re the one that’s going out all night and getting sloshed and showing up late, being a bad influence, that’s not going to get you a coin,” Pearson said.

Pearson is realistic enough to know that the players, once they get the coin, might be a little casual about what happens to it. David Wright said he had a collection of about 50 military coins that he had received as gifts during his professional career. “At some point, I’d like to make a nice display for all my military ones,” he said. “I’m not sure if the Mets one is going to make it.”

Jenrry Mejia said he keeps his Mets coin at home in the Dominican Republic; it might be in a drawer somewhere, he thinks. Steven Matz, who has also had Tommy John surgery and has an outside chance to make the Mets this season, said he kept his coin in the center console of his truck. He said the sun might have melted it a bit. Juan Lagares forgot that he had ever received one.