Pruitt's elbow is feeling better, but he expects to miss at least a week at the start of the season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Pruitt has been dealing with elbow inflammation, an issue that also plagued him back in spring training. He was considered to be in contention for a spot in the back of the Astros' rotation, which may have an extra slot available due to the absence of Jose Urquidy (undisclosed), but his inability to build up to a starter's workload may rule him out of that conversation. Framber Valdez appears to be in line to win the job.