The A's are reluctant to call Jermaine Dye's knee injury an opportunity for Eric Byrnes. But it is Byrnes' first legitimate chance to show he can provide more than just a spark off the bench.

``Anybody in my situation would look at it like that,'' Byrnes said. ``Every start I'm working to get my next one.''

After playing in just 10 of the first 22 games, Byrnes started the past three games in left field and is making a strong case to get the bulk of the playing time until Dye returns, at the earliest, late next month.

Dye is scheduled today to have arthroscopic surgery to remove torn cartilage from his right knee. His absence creates a void in the outfield that Byrnes, Adam Piatt, Ron Gant and Jason Grabowski will help fill.

Byrnes got the first shot and is making the most of it.

``I don't want to put too much pressure on him, I just want him to go out and play,'' Manager Ken Macha said. ``He certainly has provided us a spark the last couple of days.''

Byrnes had at least one hit in each start and is 6 for 15 with two RBIs since replacing Dye in the fifth inning Thursday. Byrnes, who has raised his batting average to .250 (8 for 32), also might be the A's most entertaining player. There is rarely a dull moment whether Byrnes is at bat, running the bases or in the field because of his exuberant style.

``He brings an energy you don't see much in baseball -- he probably should wear a helmet whenever he plays,'' first baseman Scott Hatteberg said. ``I've seen guys try to play that rah-rah kind of thing and you know it is just for show. But he's like this every day.''

Byrnes said he gets his high-energy, maximum-effort approach, which sometimes borders on out of control, from trying to emulate boyhood idols Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig.

It doesn't take much for Byrnes, who was a running back and linebacker at St. Francis High, to flash his football mentality. Byrnes smiles when he picks up a sticker with the phrase ``Chemically Imbalanced'' that recently showed up in his locker courtesy of an anonymous teammate.

Byrnes gouged a marble-size piece of flesh out of his right knee Saturday when he slammed into a wall to catch a foul ball. Sunday, Byrnes got kneed in the ribs when he barreled into second base to break up a double play.

``Sometimes he plays like his hair's on fire, but that's OK,'' Macha said. ``I'd rather have to have somebody back off the throttle than start stepping on it.''

Byrnes, 27, didn't need any prodding to be ready for what he considers his big break. He has been with the A's off and on since 2000. But before last weekend, he had made three successive starts just once.

Last season Byrnes appeared in 90 games, primarily as a defensive replacement or pinch runner.

``I've always had success when I've been able to play every day,'' said Byrnes, a career .310 hitter in the minors. ``The only place I really haven't had any success is here. And I really haven't had that opportunity to play every day.''

Because he has options remaining, Byrnes appeared destined to start his third successive season at Triple-A Sacramento. But he hit .350 and led the A's with 41 total bases in spring training to earn his way onto the opening-day roster.

Byrnes knew his playing time would be limited, so to stay sharp -- and burn off his enormous supply of energy -- he devised an intense workout regimen that would make Richard Simmons cringe.

``I've watched guys and how they prepare, but I know I'm a little different and I know I need to stay active,'' Byrnes said. ``In order to keep my energy, I need to keep exerting it. That's just the way I am. Keep it flowing all day.''

Usually the first to arrive at the ballpark, Byrnes never misses early batting practice or fielding sessions. If he isn't in the lineup, Byrnes ducks into the clubhouse around the second inning to work on his abdominal muscles before getting stretched out by strength and conditioning coach Clarence Cockrell. Then Byrnes heads to the batting cage underneath the stands to work on his hitting and throwing. After pedaling on a stationary bike, he runs sprints on the stairwell that leads from the dugout to the clubhouse before returning to the bench around the sixth inning.

``It's always high intensity with Eric. He's really hard to keep up with,'' Cockrell said. ``Byrnes is not the prototypical baseball player. He's more along the lines of a football-player mentality.''

Byrnes plans to revive his in-game routine when Dye returns. For now, he has simply adjusted his workout.

``I'm not going to back off,'' Byrnes said. ``I'm just going to do it all earlier in the day.''