ST. PETERSBURG -- Chad Bradford will likely be lost to the Rays until at least May after having surgery on his right elbow.

The veteran right-hander had been going through his offseason training program when he felt discomfort in his pitching arm. He reported the problem to team doctors, which resulted in his having surgery on Thursday in Birmingham, Ala. Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery, during which loose bodies were removed from his right elbow.

"I was really hoping that I would be able to rest and everything would go away, but I started playing catch, and the more I did, the stiffer it got," Bradford said. "Then one day it just really, really got stiff and swollen. I guess there is a sense of relief in that they found out what was wrong and they fixed it. Now I just have to wait until rehab is over with and I'll be ready to go again."

Recovery time from the operation is estimated at three to four months.

"We decided that doing a scope would be in the best interest of him and the team," said Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. "We did that and we expect him to miss the first month or two of the season. But to focus on the positive, it's going to be a great shot in the arm for us when he is back. And to be able to add that quality of a reliever to the mix at that point."

The Rays acquired the submarine throwing Bradford on Aug. 7 from the Orioles, and he made 21 appearances from the Tampa Bay bullpen, 18 of which were scoreless, crafting a 1.42 ERA.

Bradford, 34, led all American League relievers with a 4.19 ground-ball-to-flyball ratio and allowed just three home runs in 2008. He combined for 68 outings between Baltimore and Tampa Bay, posting a 4-3 mark with a 2.12 ERA.