BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Joel Hanrahan will miss the start of the regular season because of an injured right elbow and there is no timetable for his return.

An MRI exam taken last week showed inflammation but no structural damage. He'll have another MRI Tuesday and then see orthopedist Dr. James Andrews next Thursday for a second opinion.

Hanrahan was examined Thursday as Pittsburgh pitchers and catchers held their first workout. General manager Neal Huntington said he expects Hanrahan to begin the season on the disabled list and isn't sure when he'll pitch again.

"Is it May 1? Is it June 1? We'll know more as we get more information," Huntington said. "We're not talking about a chronic thing. He had a little bit of soreness that went away and then came back in January."

Hanrahan first was bothered by the pain in his elbow and tightness in his forearm last August but pitched through it. It flared up again in mid-January during the team's minicamp.

"I felt good coming into minicamp, but probably cranked it up a little too much," he said.

The 28-year-old Hanrahan was acquired last June as part of the trade with Washington. The change worked well for Hanrahan, who had a 7.71 ERA in 34 relief outings with the Nationals and a 1.72 ERA in 33 appearances for the Pirates.

Although Hanrahan worked mostly as a closer for the Nationals, he was set for a middle-relief role with the Pirates. When Matt Capps left in December as a free agent, the Pirates signed Octavio Dotel as their new closer.

Pirates manager John Russell had planned to use Hanrahan and right-hander Evan Meek in seventh-inning situations. Brendan Donnelly, another free-agent pickup this winter, will be Dotel's primary setup man.

There are several nonroster candidates in camp, including D.J. Carrasco, Brian Bass and Vinnie Chulk, who could end up filling Hanrahan's role.

Also Thursday, the Pirates revealed infielder Ramon Vazquez had arthroscopic surgery in November to repair cartilage damage in his right knee. Vazquez's workouts will be limited at the start of spring training, but he likely will be ready by opening day.

Vazquez said he hurt himself Aug. 9 while running to first base in a game against St. Louis.