Confirming the news to the Official Club Website, Keane said: "Alex is taking on the role for now. I spoke to Gareth before I left him out of the team at West Brom and he's been professional about it as you would expect.
"He is coming back from a fairly long injury and sometimes it's important for players to solely focus on getting back to full fitness so for the time being, Alex has taken on the armband.
"He plays at the back and like midfield, it's a good position to captain from. I know he's a bit young but I think he has the potential to be a good skipper."
Click here for a player profile on Alex Bruce