KANSAS CITY -- On Tuesday, Robinson Cano learned he'd be headed to San Diego as the Mariners' lone 2016 All-Star selection. Two days later, he started to fill up his itinerary for the trip.
Cano, who hit 20 home runs in the first half, was selected as one of eight participants in tonight's 2016 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Petco Park (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ESPN and simulcast on MLB.com). This will mark his fourth time participating in the event, stretching back to 2011.
"It means a lot," Cano said. "That's one thing where you can have a lot of fun."
The five-time Silver Slugger Award winner has had his ups and downs in the Derby. He won the event in his first year, and did so in dominant fashion, setting the record for home runs in the final round (12).
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"The year that me and my dad won it, that was amazing" Cano said. "[It's] something [that] will stick in my heart."
The next year, he was back in the event and found much less success, unable to hit a single home run. The second baseman was booed mercilessly by the crowd at Kauffman Stadium as he took each swing. That response came after Cano did not select Royals' slugger Billy Butler for the event after suggesting he might take a hometown player earlier in the year.
In a funny twist of fate, Cano's admission into the 2016 Derby was announced just two hours before the Mariners' first game of a four-game set at Kauffman Stadium. Regardless, this time around, the venue for the event will be a friendlier one for Cano: Petco Park in San Diego.
• Home Run Derby game
With the new Derby rules this year, Cano will be the No. 4 seed. He'll square off against Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton in the first round of event.
The players were seeded one through eight based on home runs totals through Wednesday. As the top seed, Mark Trumbo takes on No. 8 Corey Seager in the first round, with the winner of that head-to-head battle facing the winner of Cano and Stanton in the semifinals.<o:p>
On the other side of the bracket, No. 3 seed Adam Duvall faces No. 6 Wil Myers and No. 2 Todd Frazier meets No. 7 Carlos Gonzalez in the first round.<o:p>
The winners of those two dinger duels will meet in the other semi. Then the last two sluggers standing hack for the hardware in the final round. <o:p>

And now for the rules:<o:p>
• Single-elimination tournament in which the winner of each matchup advances and the loser of each matchup is eliminated.<o:p>
• If the second batter hits more home runs than the first batter in any matchup, he will be declared the winner and not attempt to hit additional home runs.<o:p>
• Four minutes per batter for each round. Clock starts with the release of the first pitch. In the first round and semifinals, each batter is entitled to one 45-second "time out." In the finals, each batter is entitled to two 45-second "time-outs."<o:p>
• Thirty seconds of bonus time will be awarded for two home runs that each equal or exceed 440 feet.<o:p>
• Ties in any round will be broken by a 60-second swing-off with no stoppage of time or additional time added. If a tie remains after the swing-off, batters will engage in successive three-swing swing-offs until there is a winner. <o:p>