The Dominican Republic will be without slugger Jose Bautista for its must-win game against the United States on Saturday.

Dominican manager Tony Pena told Mary Rivera of ESPN that Bautista is dealing with slight back stiffness. Gregory Polanco will start in place of Bautista in left field, while Starling Marte will serve as the club's center fielder.

Team Dominican Republic lineup pic.twitter.com/nfwDSmKNnC — Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 19, 2017

It's been an impressive tournament for Bautista, who is hitting .333/.435/.500 with one home run and five RBIs while playing in every one of the Dominican's five games. He also made a game-saving play at the plate in the first round when he threw out what would have been the winning run in the ninth inning against Colombia.

The reigning champion Dominican Republic needs to beat the United States in order to advance to the semifinals.