Paternity policy a sensible change

The Giants’ best hitter and leading All-Star candidate missed the first three days of a crucial June homestand and no one has made a peep. Which is a sign of progress.

Brandon Crawford was scheduled to return to the Bay Area on Wednesday night and should be in the Giants’ lineup Thursday, according to manager Bruce Bochy. Crawford has been home in Arizona, for the birth of his fourth child.

Bryson Crawford was delivered by scheduled cesarean section Monday. Brandon stayed with his wife, Jalynne, and the couple’s three other children for two days, and I didn’t hear one sports talk radio host or other commentator say he was letting the team down. Progress.

In 2011, Major League Baseball became the first major American professional sports league to adopt a paternity leave policy under its collective bargaining agreement. Players can take up to three days. They can take one, or two or none, but they have the right to time off.

In the past, if a player chose to take time off for a birth, he left his team short. Under the new policy, another player can take his place on the roster.

Players who have chosen the miracle of birth over the miracle of work have long been subjected to criticism. When the Mets’ Daniel Murphy took three days off in 2014 and missed two games, he was harshly criticized by radio hosts Mike Francesa and Boomer Esiason. Esiason apologized in the wake of a backlash.

In 2016, the Celtics’ Al Horford missed a regular-season game for the birth of his child. One cable TV blowhard said, “If it’s just generic childbirth, play the game.” In 1993, a Houston Oilers coach said tackle David Williams “let the guys down ... let hundreds of thousands of fans down,” by being with his wife during childbirth. A Chronicle columnist once criticized Joe Montana for having a child in high-pressure December.

Times appear to have changed.

“It’s part of society, paternity and maternity leave,” said Bochy. “Family is important. You need that time.”

In 1979, Bochy didn’t see his oldest son until he was six days old.

“We couldn’t even think about (leave) then,” Bochy said.

Thursday, Crawford and his team-leading .315 average will be back. Carrying zero guilt.