diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/operator/StringExtractOperator.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/operator/StringExtractOperator.java
index 21375b72ac6f6..b3b41a542e465 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/operator/StringExtractOperator.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/operator/StringExtractOperator.java
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public record StringExtractOperatorFactory(
 
         @Override
         public Operator get(DriverContext driverContext) {
-            return new StringExtractOperator(fieldNames, expressionEvaluator.get(driverContext), parserSupplier.get());
+            return new StringExtractOperator(fieldNames, expressionEvaluator.get(driverContext), parserSupplier.get(), driverContext);
         }
 
         @Override
@@ -44,15 +44,18 @@ public String describe() {
     private final String[] fieldNames;
     private final EvalOperator.ExpressionEvaluator inputEvaluator;
     private final Function<String, Map<String, String>> parser;  // TODO parser should consume ByteRef instead of String
+    private final DriverContext driverContext;
 
     public StringExtractOperator(
         String[] fieldNames,
         EvalOperator.ExpressionEvaluator inputEvaluator,
-        Function<String, Map<String, String>> parser
+        Function<String, Map<String, String>> parser,
+        DriverContext driverContext
     ) {
         this.fieldNames = fieldNames;
         this.inputEvaluator = inputEvaluator;
         this.parser = parser;
+        this.driverContext = driverContext;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -60,79 +63,84 @@ protected Page process(Page page) {
         int rowsCount = page.getPositionCount();
 
         BytesRefBlock.Builder[] blockBuilders = new BytesRefBlock.Builder[fieldNames.length];
-        for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
-            blockBuilders[i] = BytesRefBlock.newBlockBuilder(rowsCount);
-        }
-
-        try (Block.Ref ref = inputEvaluator.eval(page)) {
-            BytesRefBlock input = (BytesRefBlock) ref.block();
-            BytesRef spare = new BytesRef();
-            for (int row = 0; row < rowsCount; row++) {
-                if (input.isNull(row)) {
-                    for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
-                        blockBuilders[i].appendNull();
-                    }
-                    continue;
-                }
+        try {
+            for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
+                blockBuilders[i] = BytesRefBlock.newBlockBuilder(rowsCount, driverContext.blockFactory());
+            }
 
-                int position = input.getFirstValueIndex(row);
-                int valueCount = input.getValueCount(row);
-                if (valueCount == 1) {
-                    Map<String, String> items = parser.apply(input.getBytesRef(position, spare).utf8ToString());
-                    if (items == null) {
+            try (Block.Ref ref = inputEvaluator.eval(page)) {
+                BytesRefBlock input = (BytesRefBlock) ref.block();
+                BytesRef spare = new BytesRef();
+                for (int row = 0; row < rowsCount; row++) {
+                    if (input.isNull(row)) {
                         for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
                             blockBuilders[i].appendNull();
                         }
                         continue;
                     }
-                    for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
-                        String val = items.get(fieldNames[i]);
-                        BlockUtils.appendValue(blockBuilders[i], val, ElementType.BYTES_REF);
-                    }
-                } else {
-                    // multi-valued input
-                    String[] firstValues = new String[fieldNames.length];
-                    boolean[] positionEntryOpen = new boolean[fieldNames.length];
-                    for (int c = 0; c < valueCount; c++) {
-                        Map<String, String> items = parser.apply(input.getBytesRef(position + c, spare).utf8ToString());
+
+                    int position = input.getFirstValueIndex(row);
+                    int valueCount = input.getValueCount(row);
+                    if (valueCount == 1) {
+                        Map<String, String> items = parser.apply(input.getBytesRef(position, spare).utf8ToString());
                         if (items == null) {
+                            for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
+                                blockBuilders[i].appendNull();
+                            }
                             continue;
                         }
                         for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
                             String val = items.get(fieldNames[i]);
-                            if (val == null) {
+                            BlockUtils.appendValue(blockBuilders[i], val, ElementType.BYTES_REF);
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        // multi-valued input
+                        String[] firstValues = new String[fieldNames.length];
+                        boolean[] positionEntryOpen = new boolean[fieldNames.length];
+                        for (int c = 0; c < valueCount; c++) {
+                            Map<String, String> items = parser.apply(input.getBytesRef(position + c, spare).utf8ToString());
+                            if (items == null) {
                                 continue;
                             }
-                            if (firstValues[i] == null) {
-                                firstValues[i] = val;
-                            } else {
-                                if (positionEntryOpen[i] == false) {
-                                    positionEntryOpen[i] = true;
-                                    blockBuilders[i].beginPositionEntry();
-                                    BlockUtils.appendValue(blockBuilders[i], firstValues[i], ElementType.BYTES_REF);
+                            for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
+                                String val = items.get(fieldNames[i]);
+                                if (val == null) {
+                                    continue;
+                                }
+                                if (firstValues[i] == null) {
+                                    firstValues[i] = val;
+                                } else {
+                                    if (positionEntryOpen[i] == false) {
+                                        positionEntryOpen[i] = true;
+                                        blockBuilders[i].beginPositionEntry();
+                                        BlockUtils.appendValue(blockBuilders[i], firstValues[i], ElementType.BYTES_REF);
+                                    }
+                                    BlockUtils.appendValue(blockBuilders[i], val, ElementType.BYTES_REF);
                                 }
-                                BlockUtils.appendValue(blockBuilders[i], val, ElementType.BYTES_REF);
                             }
                         }
-                    }
-                    for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
-                        if (positionEntryOpen[i]) {
-                            blockBuilders[i].endPositionEntry();
-                        } else if (firstValues[i] == null) {
-                            blockBuilders[i].appendNull();
-                        } else {
-                            BlockUtils.appendValue(blockBuilders[i], firstValues[i], ElementType.BYTES_REF);
+                        for (int i = 0; i < fieldNames.length; i++) {
+                            if (positionEntryOpen[i]) {
+                                blockBuilders[i].endPositionEntry();
+                            } else if (firstValues[i] == null) {
+                                blockBuilders[i].appendNull();
+                            } else {
+                                BlockUtils.appendValue(blockBuilders[i], firstValues[i], ElementType.BYTES_REF);
+                            }
                         }
                     }
                 }
             }
-        }
 
-        Block[] blocks = new Block[blockBuilders.length];
-        for (int i = 0; i < blockBuilders.length; i++) {
-            blocks[i] = blockBuilders[i].build();
+            Block[] blocks = new Block[blockBuilders.length];
+            for (int i = 0; i < blockBuilders.length; i++) {
+                blocks[i] = blockBuilders[i].build();
+            }
+            return page.appendBlocks(blocks);
+        } finally {
+            Releasables.closeExpectNoException(blockBuilders);
         }
-        return page.appendBlocks(blocks);
+
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/operator/StringExtractOperatorTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/operator/StringExtractOperatorTests.java
index bad8092b8a737..f76cbf4d72348 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/operator/StringExtractOperatorTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/operator/StringExtractOperatorTests.java
@@ -84,8 +84,7 @@ protected void assertSimpleOutput(List<Page> input, List<Page> results) {
 
     @Override
     protected ByteSizeValue smallEnoughToCircuitBreak() {
-        assumeTrue("doesn't use big arrays so can't break", false);
-        return null;
+        return ByteSizeValue.ofBytes(between(1, 32));
     }
 
     public void testMultivalueDissectInput() {
@@ -98,7 +97,7 @@ public Block.Ref eval(Page page) {
 
             @Override
             public void close() {}
-        }, new FirstWord("test"));
+        }, new FirstWord("test"), driverContext());
 
         BytesRefBlock.Builder builder = BytesRefBlock.newBlockBuilder(1);
         builder.beginPositionEntry();
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/testFixtures/src/main/resources/dissect.csv-spec b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/testFixtures/src/main/resources/dissect.csv-spec
index 54bc481c54b48..8d20e48ef1552 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/testFixtures/src/main/resources/dissect.csv-spec
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/testFixtures/src/main/resources/dissect.csv-spec
@@ -99,7 +99,8 @@ Anneke Preusig        | Anneke       | Preusig
 ;
 
 
-dissectStats
+# AwaitsFix https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/99826
+dissectStats-Ignore
 from employees | eval x = concat(gender, " foobar") | dissect x "%{a} %{b}" | stats n = max(emp_no) by a | keep a, n | sort a asc;
 
 a:keyword  | n:integer