It's not that he has to develop. He has an option, while the other 5 starters (Chavez included) do not. Tough luck for him. He should definitely be above Sanchez on the starting depth chart though.
There is no disadvantage and it is correct. The home field advantage is just magnified by their home park being so different. They do so much better at home compared to other teams but equally worse compared to others on the road.