TORONTO -- The questions have flown around the Red Sox' clubhouse this season. 

Have the Sox started talking extension with Victor Martinez or Adrian Beltre? Will they pick up the $12.5 million option on David Ortiz? What's going to happen with Jonathan Papelbon as he heads into the final year of arbitration?

Perhaps not once, in the flurry of contractual queries, has Bill Hall's name surfaced. That was, until Wednesday night.

Few remember the fact that Hall is not only making a healthy $8.4 million this season in the last guaranteed season of his four-year contract, but that the Mariners and Brewers are actually picking up almost all of the tab. Or how about this: The Red Sox actually have control over the utility man for 2011 if they so choose, holding a $9.25 million club option on him.

Now, because of the market the Red Sox reside in, the fact that most of their starting positions have been spoken for, and the ones that haven't will be occupied by players with the dedicated talents they covet, the likelihood of Hall returning under the umbrella of the team option are remote. And he most likely knows that. As Hall explained after hitting his 14th and 15th homer of the season (as many as Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria, by the way), that uncertainty is secondary.

Hall has already garnered what he was searching for before heading into this season: A revitalized major league career.

"I tried to stop thinking about the future, because you never know what it will hold," said Hall after he led the Red Sox' to their 10-1 rout of the Blue Jays Wednesday night at Rogers Centre. "I thought about the future three years ago and it didn't turn out like I wanted it to. I love the atmosphere, I love playing here, it's a lot of fun. Obviously they have control of me for another year, it's their choice, I just know I'm turning around my career again. Whatever they decide I'll obviously be happy with and I'll understand. I'm just more happy about turning my career around. 

"The future is the future. We've got a lot of guys on this team who have established themselves as pretty good players. I understand that and whatever Theo [Epstein] wants to do and the organization wants to do I'll understand. I enjoy playing here, I love it a lot. Playing for the Red Sox every single day, hopefully it lasts a lot longer, but it's something I'll remember the rest of my life."

Wednesday's game is most likely another portion of his nine-year big league career Hall won't soon forget. 

First came a solo shot in the second inning that gave the Red Sox a lead for good. Then, in the fourth, Hall went deep for the second time off Toronto starter Shaun Marcum, this time a two-run homer to give him his first multi-home run game since April 4, 2008 (and fourth of his career).

After the game, Hall noted that he felt he hadn't earned the right to designate such performances in the manner teammate Dustin Pedroia might ("I'll tell you what, just ask Pedey what he wants to call it and I'll take it," he joked). But whatever it is, it's been coming around a lot of late.

Hall now has seven home runs in the last 14 games he has managed at least one at-bat. If he qualified as a second baseman, his 15 homers would be the sixth-most of any player manning the position, with Hall notching his total in significantly fewer at-bats. (In case you were wondering, he has played 33 games at second base, still 11 fewer than his time in the outfield.)

Since Pedroia left the lineup with his broken foot on June 25, Hall has filled in well enough. He has hit .265 with 10 homers, with the Red Sox claiming a 17-18 mark in games when he has seen the field at some point. He has played at second base in all but eight of the 33 games he participated in during the stretch, making five errors.

Not spectacular, but good enough to keep both the Red Sox and Hall's career moving forward.

"I had no goals. I didn't know what to expect coming into the season," he said. "I knew that time is running out for me to get back on track. I wouldn't say I set goals, but I had to come out and play well again, or it was either that or possibly be in Triple A again, or not even get signed again. There are a lot of guys with a lot of talent who are sitting at home right now. I had a little bit of fear in my heart. I knew it was time to come out and show what kind of player I could be and obviously it's showing up now."

It's easier for Hall to admit his insecurities after games like Wednesday's, after which he admitted, "Baseball for the past two years wasn't very fun for me, to be honest. A lot of things went wrong. When it's not showing up on the field you start to doubt yourself."

Now, there are no doubts. In his mind, the player who hit 35 home runs while playing in 148 games just four seasons ago has made a return.

"It's been a long two years," Hall said. "I didn't know where or how this was going to end. I knew I could play this game. I felt like I was a baseball player. Obviously the less amount of opportunities I got the worse I'm going to be. I'm not very good when I'm not playing very much. The timing of my swing, things just don't click right. Some guys, on the other hand, are great. I understand the position I was in. When Pedey comes back I'm going to be in that position again, so I'm trying to maintain this as long as  possible. The amount of at-bats I'm getting right now is going to help down the stretch."

And, most likely, beyond.