There is nothing that will impact the New York Yankees' World Series hopes more than the health of their biggest bats, including Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger. 

Out of that group, Judge is still the most significant and the one who will change their expectations more than anybody. 

He has not played since the end of May due to a rib injury, and there has been significant uncertainty as to when, or if, he will return this season.

Judge made one thing very clear on Wednesday: He intends to play this season. And potentially sooner rather than later.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge says he is playing this season

Judge made the comments before the Yankees' game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.

Judge emphatically said he will be back this season and that it was always the plan for him to return.

With Judge, Stanton and Bellinger all sidelined, the Yankees lineup has taken an understandable hit in terms of its productivity, and not even the trade-deadline addition of Luis Garcia Jr. is going to help make up for all that.

Since Judge last played on May 31, the Yankees have gone a rather pedestrian 28-27, while also struggling to consistently score runs. Judge's presence has always made a massive difference for the Yankees, and especially over the past few years. There is a massive difference in both their offense and record when he plays versus when he does not. 

Even getting back just one of Stanton or Bellinger, while helpful, would not make up for the continued absence of Judge. 

Bellinger has no official timeline for his return, but is expected to miss at least four-to-six weeks. He went on the IL on July 26.

Stanton has been sidelined since April and has been hoping for an August return. 

Judge is only hitting .248 this season, but he does have 17 home runs in 59 games and still has a .907 OPS, making him one of the most impactful hitters in the league. 

Bellinger has a .770 OPS in his 102 games, while Stanton hit three home runs with a .724 OPS in his 24 games.

If the Yankees get that trio back and in good enough health to be impactful, they could be a favorite in the American League given how good their pitching staff is, especially now that Gerrit Cole and Max Fried are back. It is a testament to quality of that pitching staff that they have been able to stay competitive given the absences in the lineup. Give them some healthy bats and they could be one of the teams to beat in an extremely wide-open American League this season.