Blue Jays' Hill gearing up for '09 return

Aaron Hill has an important holiday message for Toronto Blue Jays management, players and fans: he'll be ready to play second base in 2009.

Hill's 2008 season ended when he collided with former teammate David Eckstein during a May 29 game at Oakland. The following months were spent dealing with post-concussion symptoms.

"Everything is fine," he said before a session with pitchers Roy Halladay and Jesse Litsch at the Blue Jays' spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla.

"I got the go-ahead about a month or so ago to go full-time. It's been good fun getting here every day and actually doing some things."

The Blue Jays begin their 162-game schedule next season by hosting the Detroit Tigers on April 6.

Hill, who is working out three times a week, was hitting .263 with two home runs and 20 runs batted in at the time of his injury.

The 26-year-old had averaged .291 in each of the previous two years as a regular.

Hill's recovery has included numerous starts and stops, as he'd exercise and feel good one day but suffer headaches and nausea the next. He didn't help matters by routinely exercising "to stay sane."

Hill never really got past riding the bike, running and very light baseball exercises, but once it became clear he wouldn't play again in 2008, he shifted his focus toward being ready for next season.

"It was emotional more than anything," said Hill, who signed a four-year, $12-million US deal early last season. "It's probably the most I have been out since I was 13 or 14 years old. You can always learn something so now it's time to work hard and get back on the field.

The Blue Jays will compete in the American League East next season minus pitcher A.J. Burnett, who opted out of his contract and signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent for five years and a reported $82.5 million on Dec. 12.

"A.J. did a great job for us last season, but we have some young kids that had a chance to do some things and it's also looking pretty promising in the farm system. It's was a great opportunity for them and hopefully they will come up, prove themselves and help us next season."