diff --git a/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/flow.go b/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/flow.go
index 0b14fa420476..a2e076db23fe 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/flow.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/flow.go
@@ -626,6 +626,14 @@ func (f *Flow) Wait() {
 	}
 }
 
+// Releasable is an interface for objects than can be Released back into a
+// memory pool when finished.
+type Releasable interface {
+	// Release allows this object to be returned to a memory pool. Objects must
+	// not be used after Release is called.
+	Release()
+}
+
 // Cleanup should be called when the flow completes (after all processors and
 // mailboxes exited).
 func (f *Flow) Cleanup(ctx context.Context) {
@@ -635,6 +643,11 @@ func (f *Flow) Cleanup(ctx context.Context) {
 	// This closes the account and monitor opened in ServerImpl.setupFlow.
 	f.EvalCtx.ActiveMemAcc.Close(ctx)
 	f.EvalCtx.Stop(ctx)
+	for _, p := range f.processors {
+		if d, ok := p.(Releasable); ok {
+			d.Release()
+		}
+	}
 	if log.V(1) {
 		log.Infof(ctx, "cleaning up")
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/processors.go b/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/processors.go
index adf754d79759..05a8210a0ea5 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/processors.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/processors.go
@@ -59,11 +59,12 @@ type ProcOutputHelper struct {
 	rowAlloc sqlbase.EncDatumRowAlloc
 
 	filter *exprHelper
-	// renderExprs is set if we have a rendering. Only one of renderExprs and
-	// outputCols can be set.
+	// renderExprs has length > 0 if we have a rendering. Only one of renderExprs
+	// and outputCols can be set.
 	renderExprs []exprHelper
-	// outputCols is set if we have a projection. Only one of renderExprs and
-	// outputCols can be set.
+	// outputCols is non-nil if we have a projection. Only one of renderExprs and
+	// outputCols can be set. Note that 0-length projections are possible, in
+	// which case outputCols will be 0-length but non-nil.
 	outputCols []uint32
 
 	outputRow sqlbase.EncDatumRow
@@ -87,6 +88,14 @@ type ProcOutputHelper struct {
 	rowIdx uint64
 }
 
+// Reset resets this ProcOutputHelper, retaining allocated memory in its slices.
+func (h *ProcOutputHelper) Reset() {
+	*h = ProcOutputHelper{
+		renderExprs: h.renderExprs[:0],
+		outputTypes: h.outputTypes[:0],
+	}
+}
+
 // Init sets up a ProcOutputHelper. The types describe the internal schema of
 // the processor (as described for each processor core spec); they can be
 // omitted if there is no filtering expression.
@@ -120,14 +129,28 @@ func (h *ProcOutputHelper) Init(
 			// nil indicates no projection; use an empty slice.
 			h.outputCols = make([]uint32, 0)
 		}
-		h.outputTypes = make([]sqlbase.ColumnType, len(h.outputCols))
+		nOutputCols := len(h.outputCols)
+		if cap(h.outputTypes) >= nOutputCols {
+			h.outputTypes = h.outputTypes[:nOutputCols]
+		} else {
+			h.outputTypes = make([]sqlbase.ColumnType, nOutputCols)
+		}
 		for i, c := range h.outputCols {
 			h.outputTypes[i] = types[c]
 		}
-	} else if len(post.RenderExprs) > 0 {
-		h.renderExprs = make([]exprHelper, len(post.RenderExprs))
-		h.outputTypes = make([]sqlbase.ColumnType, len(post.RenderExprs))
+	} else if nRenders := len(post.RenderExprs); nRenders > 0 {
+		if cap(h.renderExprs) >= nRenders {
+			h.renderExprs = h.renderExprs[:nRenders]
+		} else {
+			h.renderExprs = make([]exprHelper, nRenders)
+		}
+		if cap(h.outputTypes) >= nRenders {
+			h.outputTypes = h.outputTypes[:nRenders]
+		} else {
+			h.outputTypes = make([]sqlbase.ColumnType, nRenders)
+		}
 		for i, expr := range post.RenderExprs {
+			h.renderExprs[i] = exprHelper{}
 			if err := h.renderExprs[i].init(expr, types, evalCtx); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -138,9 +161,15 @@ func (h *ProcOutputHelper) Init(
 			h.outputTypes[i] = colTyp
 		}
 	} else {
-		h.outputTypes = types
+		// No rendering or projection.
+		if cap(h.outputTypes) >= len(types) {
+			h.outputTypes = h.outputTypes[:len(types)]
+		} else {
+			h.outputTypes = make([]sqlbase.ColumnType, len(types))
+		}
+		copy(h.outputTypes, types)
 	}
-	if h.outputCols != nil || h.renderExprs != nil {
+	if h.outputCols != nil || len(h.renderExprs) > 0 {
 		// We're rendering or projecting, so allocate an output row.
 		h.outputRow = h.rowAlloc.AllocRow(len(h.outputTypes))
 	}
@@ -158,7 +187,7 @@ func (h *ProcOutputHelper) Init(
 // neededColumns calculates the set of internal processor columns that are
 // actually used by the post-processing stage.
 func (h *ProcOutputHelper) neededColumns() (colIdxs util.FastIntSet) {
-	if h.outputCols == nil && h.renderExprs == nil {
+	if h.outputCols == nil && len(h.renderExprs) == 0 {
 		// No projection or rendering; all columns are needed.
 		colIdxs.AddRange(0, h.numInternalCols-1)
 		return colIdxs
@@ -177,12 +206,10 @@ func (h *ProcOutputHelper) neededColumns() (colIdxs util.FastIntSet) {
 		}
 
 		// See if render expressions require this column.
-		if h.renderExprs != nil {
-			for j := range h.renderExprs {
-				if h.renderExprs[j].vars.IndexedVarUsed(i) {
-					colIdxs.Add(i)
-					break
-				}
+		for j := range h.renderExprs {
+			if h.renderExprs[j].vars.IndexedVarUsed(i) {
+				colIdxs.Add(i)
+				break
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -345,7 +372,7 @@ func (h *ProcOutputHelper) ProcessRow(
 		return nil, true, nil
 	}
 
-	if h.renderExprs != nil {
+	if len(h.renderExprs) > 0 {
 		// Rendering.
 		for i := range h.renderExprs {
 			datum, err := h.renderExprs[i].eval(row)
@@ -539,6 +566,16 @@ type ProcessorBase struct {
 	inputsToDrain []RowSource
 }
 
+// Reset resets this ProcessorBase, retaining allocated memory in slices.
+func (pb *ProcessorBase) Reset() {
+	pb.out.Reset()
+	*pb = ProcessorBase{
+		out:           pb.out,
+		trailingMeta:  pb.trailingMeta[:0],
+		inputsToDrain: pb.inputsToDrain[:0],
+	}
+}
+
 // procState represents the standard states that a processor can be in. These
 // states are relevant when the processor is using the draining utilities in
 // ProcessorBase.
diff --git a/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/tablereader.go b/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/tablereader.go
index 04b8bd6bbceb..7d0ddf757fb1 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/tablereader.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/distsqlrun/tablereader.go
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 
+	"sync"
+
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/roachpb"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/sqlbase"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/util"
@@ -52,6 +54,12 @@ var _ RowSource = &tableReader{}
 
 const tableReaderProcName = "table reader"
 
+var trPool = sync.Pool{
+	New: func() interface{} {
+		return &tableReader{}
+	},
+}
+
 // newTableReader creates a tableReader.
 func newTableReader(
 	flowCtx *FlowCtx,
@@ -64,7 +72,7 @@ func newTableReader(
 		return nil, errors.Errorf("attempting to create a tableReader with uninitialized NodeID")
 	}
 
-	tr := &tableReader{}
+	tr := trPool.Get().(*tableReader)
 
 	tr.limitHint = limitHint(spec.LimitHint, post)
 
@@ -109,7 +117,12 @@ func newTableReader(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	tr.spans = make(roachpb.Spans, len(spec.Spans))
+	nSpans := len(spec.Spans)
+	if cap(tr.spans) >= nSpans {
+		tr.spans = tr.spans[:nSpans]
+	} else {
+		tr.spans = make(roachpb.Spans, nSpans)
+	}
 	for i, s := range spec.Spans {
 		tr.spans[i] = s.Span
 	}
@@ -241,6 +254,18 @@ func (tr *tableReader) Start(ctx context.Context) context.Context {
 	return ctx
 }
 
+// Release releases this tableReader back to the pool.
+func (tr *tableReader) Release() {
+	tr.ProcessorBase.Reset()
+	tr.fetcher.Reset()
+	*tr = tableReader{
+		ProcessorBase: tr.ProcessorBase,
+		fetcher:       tr.fetcher,
+		spans:         tr.spans[:0],
+	}
+	trPool.Put(tr)
+}
+
 // Next is part of the RowSource interface.
 func (tr *tableReader) Next() (sqlbase.EncDatumRow, *ProducerMetadata) {
 	for tr.State == StateRunning {