Crawford feeling better

LOS ANGELES — The Giants’ medical staff forbids players from doing interviews while within the concussion protocol, so shortstop Brandon Crawford was not allowed Tuesday to discuss Monday night’s frightful collision with left fielder Gorkys Hernandez.

Crawford’s demeanor told the story, however. He joked with reporters and invited them to observe that he was donning his batting gloves and grabbing his fielding glove to go outside for batting practice.

Crawford might have dodged the concussion train that has rolled over this team far too often. Then again, the Giants have seen enough delayed symptoms in other players not to get too comfortable saying Crawford will be OK.

He did not play Tuesday night, although manager Bruce Bochy had said Crawford might be available to hit if he could get through pregame work without a setback.

“He’s doing a lot better today,” Bochy said. “It seems like he’s doing fine.”

Crawford and Hernandez collided in short left field as they chased Clayton Kershaw’s blooper down the line in the fourth inning. Hernandez gave way and let Crawford attempt the catch, but when the ball fell, the outfielder instinctively moved forward to retrieve it. That’s when his leg slammed into Crawford’s head.

Both went down and stayed down, although Crawford first was able to grab the ball and throw it to third to get Kershaw trying to stretch his RBI double into three bases.

Crawford batted in the fifth after saying he was OK, but Bochy removed him upon the advice of head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner, who observed symptoms he now knows all too intimately.

“You get to the point where you’ve got to err on the side of caution,” Bochy said. “Could he have gone back out there? Sure, he could have, but Groesch said it would be better to get him out.” Belt returns: The Giants activated first baseman Brandon Belt, a day short of four weeks after he sustained a bone bruise in his right knee running the bases in Seattle. Like Crawford, he began Tuesday’s game on the bench, but entered the game after catcher Nick Hundley was ejected during the melee in the bottom of the seventh. Belt, who singled in the ninth and scored the winning run, will start against lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu on Wednesday night. Briefly: The Giants optioned reliever Pierce Johnson to Triple-A to clear the spot for Belt . ... Will Smith, who recorded his 10th save Tuesday, is the Giants’ first left-hander with at least nine saves in a season since Dave Righetti had 24 in 1991.