FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - The latest Manny Ramirez mystery surfaced Monday when teammate Julian Tavarez said his close friend would arrive late at spring training and Boston manager Terry Francona said that may not be true.

Tavarez said the left fielder would report March 1 as he did last year when he received permission from the Red Sox to show up late.

The first workout of spring training for position players is set for Thursday. The official reporting date under major league rules is Feb. 27.

"I spoke to Manny (Sunday) and he said he's going to be here March 1," said Tavarez, a reliever who joined the Red Sox before last season. "He's been going through a tough time because his mom, you know, they told him that she had a tumor.

"It wasn't a tumor. She had surgery in between those ribs. She's at home right now recovering and Manny's there with his mom. He's working out," Tavarez said. "Nobody believes that, but it's the truth about his mom. That's really true."

He said Ramirez was with his mother in Weston, near Miami, about a two-hour drive east of Fort Myers.

Ramirez requested trades the past two offseasons, but Francona said on Feb. 6, "I think he's OK. I don't think there's any problem."

On Monday, Francona was reluctant to comment on Tavarez's remarks.

"That's unfair because I haven't talked to (Ramirez). There's a lot of, 'he said, she said,' that I'm not too sure is true," Francona said. "If somebody calls me and tells me something happens, it's easier for me to comment than on his publicist (or) Julian, saying this."

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and Ramirez's agent, Greg Genske, did not respond to e-mails seeking comment.