The Mets are rounding third and heading for home on their second and final round of interviews for their open manager job.

Astros bench coach Joe Espada got his in-person interview with owner Steve Cohen and company on Thursday, with veteran manager Buck Showalter set to have his on Friday. Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro got the second-round interviews underway on Tuesday.

Showalter, considered to be the strong front-runner, will have a chance to leave the last impression on Cohen and the Mets front office before deliberations begin, with a final decision possible by early next week on Luis Rojas’ successor.

The 65-year-old Showalter would buck the trend of the Mets hiring three straight first-time managers in Rojas, Carlos Beltran and Mickey Callaway. Showalter has 20 years of MLB managing experience with the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Orioles, and would bring instant credibility to the dugout.

Espada, the former Yankees third-base coach who overlapped with Mets general manager Billy Eppler in The Bronx in 2014 and 2015, has been with the Astros since 2017. He previously spent two seasons managing in the Puerto Rican Winter League and also served on Team Puerto Rico’s coaching staff for the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classics — with which his players included current Mets Francisco Lindor, Edwin Diaz and Seth Lugo.

Quatraro, an Albany-area native and former minor league manager, served on Terry Francona’s staff in Cleveland for four seasons before joining the Rays in 2017.

Espada and Quatraro have also reportedly interviewed for the Athletics’ opening, the only other managing job that has yet to be filled this offseason.

The verdict in former Mets acting GM Zack Scott’s DWI case, originally scheduled for Thursday in White Plains City Court, has been pushed to Jan. 6. The delay is due to Scott testing positive for COVID-19, according to multiple reports.

The Mets had placed Scott on administrative leave in September, after he pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated, before firing him in November.

— Additional reporting by Mike Puma