BRADENTON, Fla. — Reliever Roberto Hernandez arrived in the Pittsburgh Pirates' camp five days late, but he did so with a clean frame of mind.

Hernandez said he had received permission from Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield to report Tuesday because his father is ailing and he needed the extra time to move his parents from his native Dominican Republic to his current home in Gulfport, Fla.

"My dad's the last one from his side of the family, so I'm trying to make sure he's OK and that he has the best doctors around him," Hernandez said. "He'll be able to get a lot better care here than in the Dominican."

He also cleared his delay with manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Jim Colborn.

"They allowed me this, so I appreciate it. I'm deeply gratified," he said. "On the other hand, I'm ready to go."

Hernandez, 41, was the New York Mets' most reliable reliever last season with a 2.58 ERA. Working as a setup man, he surrendered a run in only 12 of his 67 appearances.

Pittsburgh signed him out of free agency to a one-year contract worth $2.75 million. The team did so with the understanding he will try to help fledgling closer Mike Gonzalez this season.

"They made a point-blank statement that they want me to help Mike Gonzalez into becoming the best he can be as a closer," he said. "My thing will be to help him as much as I can mentally. The role of a closer has a lot of ups and downs. You beat yourself up more mentally than physically."

Hernandez, who has 324 career saves, also stressed he hopes to continue his solid work of last season.

"My goal every year is not just to hang on," he said. "It's to contribute, to bring something positive."

Hernandez was among 13 pitchers who took the mound Tuesday as part of the team's three-hour workout. He threw an abbreviated session.

Notes:

Starter Paul Maholm returned to the mound after missing a session Monday because of a slightly strained hamstring. He pitched 15 minutes with no sign of difficulty. ... Second baseman Jose Castillo, recovering from a torn knee ligament, had a seamless second day of taking infield grounders. ... The Pirates will have their first full-squad workout Wednesday. Littlefield said he had not been advised by any players they will be late.