The Red Sox confirmed on Wednesday that Manny Ramirez is dealing with a family issue and the star slugger has been granted clearance from the club to report to Spring Training on March 1. The rest of Boston's position players underwent physicals on Wednesday, so Ramirez will be roughly one week behind schedule. "Manny is going to be here, ready to go, March 1," said Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. "He's got a family situation. I think the important thing, from our perspective to this point, is that when he does show up on March 1 that he's ready to go, accountable to his teammates and accountable to the organization." Red Sox manager Terry Francona spoke to Ramirez via phone on Tuesday night and, like Epstein, expressed no issue with the left fielder's timetable. Reliever Julian Tavarez, Ramirez's close friend, said earlier this week that the slugger would not be on hand until March 1. However, the Red Sox weren't comfortable making an announcement until they heard it directly from Ramirez. Epstein said that he was satisfied with the communication between Ramirez's agent and the club. "Again, I think the most important thing is accountability, starting March 1, and from then on out," said Epstein. "Manny's spring will start March 1. That's an excused absence due to family reasons."