after struggling the second half of the 2004 season, harvey found himself battling calvin pickering for his roster spot the following spring. after hitting .238 in spring training, the royals sent harvey to their triple-a omaha affiliate on march 29, 2005. in 18 games at omaha, harvey hit .375 with three home runs and 14 rbi and was recalled less than a month later on april 28. however, after playing in only 12 games, during which he batted just .222 with five rbi, harvey was placed on the disabled list on may 22 due to recurring back problems. .