masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgOrioles executive vice president Dan Duquette is unable to provide specific details on pitching coach Rick Adair’s decision to take a leave of absence from the club, but he emphasized that it’s due to personal reasons and isn’t tied to the staff’s performance this season.

“It’s simply a personal leave of absence,” Duquette told me over the phone a few minutes ago. “We don’t really have a timetable on it. These things take some time.”

The Orioles issued a press release this morning…Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette is unable to provide specific details on pitching coach Rick Adair’s decision to take a leave of absence from the club, but he emphasized that it’s due to personal reasons and isn’t tied to the staff’s performance this season.

“It’s simply a personal leave of absence,” Duquette told me over the phone a few minutes ago. “We don’t really have a timetable on it. These things take some time.”

The Orioles issued a press release this morning confirming that Adair was taking a personal leave of absence and would be replaced by bullpen coach Bill Castro. Scott McGregor, the organization’s pitching rehab coordinator, will fill in for Castro.

“There’s not much we can say beyond what’s in the release,” Duquette said. “It’s personal. We’ll just leave it at that. It’s a long season. There are things that need to be done.

“The important thing is that Rick addresses the issue that he wants to address by taking some time away.”

Castro had two stints as the Brewers’ pitching coach, one of them on an interim basis in 2002. McGregor was part of a rotating cast of bullpen coaches in 2011 after Adair replaced Mark Connor as pitching coach in June.

“What I can tell you is Castro is a very capable guy to help Buck in the dugout,” Duquette said. “He’s been a major league pitching coach in Milwaukee and with the Dominican Republic when they won the WBC, right? He’s a very capable guy. He pitched for (George) Bamberger in Milwaukee.

“Scotty McGregor knows all of our pitchers. He’s been up to Triple-A this year, and of course, he’s with us in spring training all the time.

“Every time I talked to Earl (Weaver), he always recommended Scotty. He’d say to get him up to the major league club. He can help the ballclub.”