HOUSTON -- Astros pitcher Austin Pruitt, who was acquired by the club from the Rays on Jan. 9 for a pair of Minor League prospects, underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a hairline fracture by having a screw put in his right elbow. Pruitt, who’s on the 45-day injured list, won’t pick up a baseball for several months.

Pruitt, 31, began experiencing elbow pain the spring and quit throwing for about four weeks. When he resumed his throwing routine, he initially felt fine, but the elbow slowly started hurting again.

“I was thinking I was going to get through it,” he said. “I’ve dealt with some pain before. I thought it was no different. The more we throw, the more pain I was in. It was something I couldn’t get over.”

Pruitt said the screw will give the elbow more strength and support, but the healing process will take some time. He expects to be back at some point early next year.

“If everything goes well, I think I should definitely be back,” he said.

Pruitt made 67 appearances for Tampa Bay between 2017 and '19, including 10 starts, posting a 4.87 ERA. He split last season between Triple-A Durham and the Major League club, with a 5.40 ERA in 18 appearances (six starts) for Durham and a 4.40 ERA over 14 games (two starts) for the Rays.