When you have to add them to the 40, their 4th season, they should be in AAA. How you get there is largely unimportant.
Personally, I sort of treat RL/LoA/HiA all the same. A player will play his partial season in one(coaching) then move up a notch the next season. Sometimes that means they're in AAA by their 3rd season but that doesn't bother me much.