St. Louis, MO –  St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan has asked for a leave of absence to be with his wife as she continues to recover from surgery to remove a brain tumor.

Jeanine Duncan underwent surgery in August and her husband said afterward that she had no loss of memory nor any difficulty communicating.

The Cardinals announced Dave Duncan's request Thursday night and said there is no timetable for his return to the team.

He has been the St. Louis pitching coach since coming to the team with manager Tony La Russa in 1996 and had been the pitching coach under La Russa for the White Sox, Athletics and Cardinals since 1983. La Russa retired last year after the Cardinals won the World Series.

Cardinals senior vice president general manager John Mozeliak and new manager Mike Matheny will meet soon to determine how to fill Duncan's position during his absence.