FORT MYERS, Fla. — Manny Ramirez got lost on his way to calisthenics.

The unpredictable slugger reported to Boston Red Sox camp Monday either late or early, depending on who’s timing him. And he walked into a crowd of fans by accident after taking a wrong turn as he headed off for stretching.

No problem for the happy-go-lucky hitter. He laughed and simply turned around, headed to the path he should have taken and joined his teammates on one of the practice fields.

“I don’t know what to expect from Manny,” third baseman Mike Lowell said. “I just know that he’s getting ready, and, whichever way it is, that’s fine with me.”

Ramirez drove up in a large, gray sedan with tinted windows four days after the team staged its first fullsquad workout but three days before the date the Red Sox gave him permission to arrive because his mother had a health problem.

“Manny reported early because he was ready to go. He’s excited to be here in spring training,” his agent, Greg Genske, said. “I do know that (Onelcida Ramirez) had very, very serious medical issues this off-season and that was the reason why Manny is reporting when he is.”

But even David Ortiz, whose locker is next to Ramirez’s, knew his close friend actually arrived late.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Ortiz said. “I think everybody (on the team) is cool. By April 1, he’ll be doing his thing, guaranteed.”

That would be hitting at least .300 with a minimum of 30 homers and 100 RBIs. Ramirez exceeded those homer and RBI totals in each of his six seasons with Boston and hit below .300 only once — .292 in 2005.

Ramirez, who rarely talks with reporters, refused several requests to do that yesterday after sitting down at his locker at 8:54 a.m.

Sporting a few dark red dreadlocks among his usual black ones, he hit in the batting cage before taking his roundabout journey to the field.

He stretched, caught fly balls, participated in running drills and took three batting practice pitches from Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka and 10 from non-roster invitee Travis Hughes.

When he lined a ball up the middle against Hughes, an adoring fan yelled, “Hey, midseason form, Manny.”