SAN FRANCISCO -- The perjury case against Barry Bonds was put on hold for three months Friday, with prosecutors telling a federal judge they plan to obtain a new indictment against baseball's home run king.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston had told prosecutors on Feb. 29 to fix their original indictment because it lumped multiple allegations into too few counts.

Illston said that prosecutors needed to drop some of the allegations from the indictment or add more charges.

At a brief court hearing Friday, assistant U.S. attorney Matt Parrella didn't say when the government will ask a grand jury for a new indictment.

Illston ordered the sides to return to court June 6, making it likely any trail would not start before 2009.

Eight people connected to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO, have pleaded guilty to drug charges or perjury, including track legend Marion Jones who admitted lying to investigators about using steroids.

The trial of Tammy Thomas, an elite cyclist also accused of perjury, is scheduled to begin Monday.

Bonds was indicted in November on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, charges stemming from 2003 grand-jury testimony in which he denied knowingly taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds was let go by the San Francisco Giants. The 43-year-old outfielder remains a free agent and wants to play this year.

"I'm not going to retire. I don't think that's going to happen," he told MLB.com Tuesday. "I'm working out. I'm training. If my phone rings, it rings. If it don't, it don't. I have a cell phone."

"I have a Blackberry. They work. If something comes up, I'm sure they'll let me know. I'll come back in July if I have to. It depends on the circumstances."