(CNN)–It's still a mystery why President Barack Obama was holding a baseball bat during his telephone conversation with Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan earlier this week. An official White House photo shows the president with the bat in one hand and a phone in the other.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked about the photo on Tuesday and promised get some answers but so far nothing.

The photo is getting quite a bit of attention in overseas publications wondering about "hidden messages" or the "symbolic meaning" of the president holding the baseball bat.

The White House released a short readout of Monday's call, which focused on Turkey's neighbor Syria, saying the "two leaders shared their growing concerns about the Syrian regime’s ruthless attacks against its own people, most recently in Aleppo."

Tensions between Turkey and Syria have escalated after the Syrians downed a Turkish plane earlier this summer.