CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Phillies second baseman Chase Utley was a late scratch from Tuesday's starting lineup.

Utley is fine. He was pulled from the lineup as a precaution because of wet grounds.

It rained for several hours before the 1 p.m. start. The grounds crew emptied the tarp just behind second base, in shallow right field. Manager Charlie Manuel and third-base coach Ryne Sandberg inspected the area shortly before game time. The team announced that Utley was scratched a few moments later. Kevin Frandsen started at second base in place of Utley.

Utley didn't play in spring-training games the last two years because of knee problems. He is healthy this spring and played in two of the team's first three spring games.