NEW YORK — Aaron Judge will be the U.S. captain at next year’s World Baseball Classic, the same role the two-time American League Most Valuable Player fills with the New York Yankees.

Mark DeRosa made the announcement Monday, four days after he was appointed U.S. manager for the second straight WBC.

Judge takes over from the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, who was captain at the 2023 tournament. The U.S. lost the 2023 championship game to Japan 3-2 as Shohei Ohtani struck out Trout, his then-Angels teammate, to end the game.

Judge, who turns 33 on April 26, is the first player announced for the U.S. roster. The outfielder entered Monday hitting .357 with a major league-leading 20 RBIs and six home runs, tied for the big league high.