(12:14 am ET) White Sox designated hitter Paul Konerko had a big night at the plate during a 7-5 loss at Minnesota Tuesday.

Konerko went 4 for 4 in the game with a double and his 27th RBI. He also scored a run and is batting .248 on the year after the four-hit effort.

The 37-year-old has an RBI in three of his last four games, but 27 on the year over 230 at-bats. He's struggled, but it was good to see him pick it up in a losing effort Tuesday.

(6/18/2013) Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion slammed home run No. 19 Tuesday night in an 8-3 win over the Rockies. 

Encarnacion went deep in the fifth inning off starter Jeff Francis for a two-run shot. He added an RBI double in the first inning and drove in three runs. 

Encarnacion finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored and is batting .268 for the year. He's hit in eight of his last 10 games with two homers, four doubles and eight RBI over that span. He's driven in 58 runs this year. 

(6/18/2013) Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli started the day doubleheader game against Tampa Bay Tuesday. Napoli, who had missed the previous three games due to an illness, was not in the lineup for the nightcap. 

Napoli went 1 for 3 in his return to the lineup with a single and a walk. He's batting .263 on the season with nine homers and 49 RBI. 

(6/18/2013) Cubs manager Dale Sveum held first baseman Anthony Rizzo out of the lineup for the first time this season Tuesday night against the Cardinals.

Rizzo had played the team's first 68 games before taking Tuesday off. He is hitting .157 over his first 15 June games. He has a .241/.327/.444 slash line with 10 homers and 39 RBI this season.

(6/18/2013) Known for providing power and not much else, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has put up some curious numbers over his last seven games. Not only has he compiled a .462 batting average on 12 hits, but of those 12 hits, only three are for extra bases, including a homer.

It's as if he's stopped caring how far he hits the ball and just hits it. He basically said as much after Monday night's game against the Nationals.

"I've been trying to put together some good at-bats and let the power come when it comes," Howard said.

Maybe that's just a throwaway explanation for one of the many oddball trends that inevitable result when you reduce 162 games down to just a handful -- in fact, that's probably the case -- but I'm curious to see what comes next. Howard's power numbers aren't up to snuff, but if he's able to compensate with a higher-than-usual batting average, he'll still be a useful corner infielder or utility player in mixed leagues.

Right now, his .274 batting average would be his fourth-best mark for a full season.

(6/18/2013) The Mariners have officially activated first baseman Justin Smoak from the 15-day disabled list prior to Tuesday's game against the Angels. Smoak, who had been on the disabled list since May 30 with a strained oblique, hit .240/.350/.344 with three homers and eight RBI in 46 games.

(6/18/2013) The Rangers optioned first baseman Chris McGuiness down to Triple-A Round Rock Tuesday. McGuiness hit .176 (6 for 34) with 13 strikeouts while in the majors. He had a .275 batting average in 55 games in the minors.

(6/18/2013) Having played just 15 games since his lengthy disabled list stint, Mark Teixeira's wrist injury has landed him back on the DL. Fantasy owners, who were already wary of the Yankees first baseman, may be tempted to drop him, but that would be premature.

Season-ending surgery is still in the picture for Teixeira, but a major factor for his current DL stay is the cortisone shot that he received that was going to sideline him for a week or more, according to the New York Daily News. Though surgery is a possibility, so is recovery, and a healthy Teixeira is a top 10 first baseman. He showed a little of that potential in his first five games this season, when he went 4 for 15 with two home runs and three walks.

Given the risk of Teixeira missing more than just a couple of weeks and the possibility of subpar performance, I have dropped him to 16th in my first baseman rankings. If things take a turn for the worse, I'll drop him further, but for now, there's no reason why Teixeira shouldn't be stashed.

(6/18/2013) Orioles first baseman Travis Ishikawa has been recalled from Triple-A, and is in the team's starting lineup Tuesday against the Tigers. 

Ishikawa was eligible to opt out of his contract Tuesday, but the Orioles decided to call him up. He'll serve as the club's DH and hit eighth against Justin Verlander. Ishikawa was hitting .316 in Triple-A.

(6/18/2013) Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira will be placed on the disabled list due to his wrist injury.

The team had been contemplating the move, and decided a stint on the DL would help Teixeira. The Yankees will bring back pitcher Adam Warren to take his spot on the roster. There's no indication whether Teixeira will be out more than 15 days. 

Teixeira was hitting .151/.270/.340 in 53 at-bats.